Over 200 Seafood Outlets and Seawater Suppliers Accredited under the Quality Seawater Assurance Scheme

Over 200 eateries and outlets from 43 local seafood traders and seawater suppliers were successfully accredited under the Quality Seawater Assurance Scheme (QSAS) initiated by the Food and Health Bureau of the HKSAR Government, with the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) as the Accrediting Body.

These accredited organizations were presented with certificates at a ceremony today (23 August 2007) officiated by Ms Vivian Ko, Acting Deputy Secretary for Food and Health (Food), HKSAR Government; the Hon Wong Yung-kan, Legislative Councillor and member of the Panel on Food Safety & Environmental Hygiene, and Mr Wilson Fung, Executive Director of HKPC.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Ko said, "Launched in January 2006, the voluntary QSAS aims to enhance the quality of fish tank water at source and throughout the entire supply chain of seawater. Through this Scheme, we aim to minimize the risk of contamination of seafood and assist the trade to effectively monitor and manage seawater quality."

"We believe that through attaining accreditation under the Scheme, seafood traders can strengthen their consumers' confidence in the quality of their products, thus attracting more business, while the public can rest assured of food safety related to seafood," she added.

According to Mr Wilson Fung, through participation in the Scheme, the applicants can improve their seawater quality management with the assistance of HKPC. He said, "As the independent Accrediting Body of the QSAS, HKPC conducts evaluation according to the respective accreditation criteria of the 'Accredited Quality Seawater Supplier' and the 'Quality Seawater Logo Holder'. We also arrange unscheduled on-site audit of the accredited organizations to ensure that they continue to comply with such criteria. During the audit, HKPC consultants have also suggested improvement measures to the applicants to enhance their current practices."

"To date, we have received 250 applications, with over 200 outlets from 43 seafood traders and seawater suppliers having attained accreditation. They represent the whole spectrum of players in the entire seawater supply chain, from seawater suppliers to seafood wholesalers and retailers, from supermarket chains to seafood market stalls, from prestigious eateries to modest restaurants," he said.

Under the QSAS, business operators can apply for two types of accreditation status - the "Accredited Quality Seawater Supplier" and the "Quality Seawater Logo Holder". Seawater suppliers who abstract, treat or deliver seawater or seafood can apply for the former, while seafood restaurants and sales outlets can apply for the latter. Successful applicants of "Quality Seawater Logo Holders" are entitled to display the "Quality Seawater Logo" in their premises.

The QSAS also operates a merit system for the accredited participants. Those who fully comply with the accreditation criteria during the one-year period will be presented an "Excellent Performance Certificate". This year, 10 participants with 90 outlets at different locations have attained the "Excellent Performance" status.

For further information on the QSAS, please visit the website: www.hkpc.org/qsas, or contact HKPC's Mr Kenny Wong at tel. (852) 2788 5647, or via e-mail: kenny@hkpc.org.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Betty Lee
General Manager
Corporate Communications
Tel: (852) 2788 5895
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
E-mail: justina@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

23 August 2007