The FEHD is tasked to ensure that the food available for human consumption is safe and properly labelled. It also aims to safeguard public health through the testing and control of live food animals.

Under the food surveillance programme, 61 181 samples were taken in 2004 for chemical, microbiological and radiological testing to ensure that food was fit for human consumption.

A total of 60 929 and 46 098 vehicles carrying food (vegetables and other food) and live food animals (pigs, cattle and poultry) respectively were inspected at the Food Control Office and Animal Inspection Station at Man Kam To. During the year, a total of 115 473 tests on a wide range of food samples were taken at import, wholesale and retail levels for surveillance and for compliance with the statutory standards. A total of 12 982 587 live food animals were inspected and 100 566 blood and 69 127 urine and tissue samples were taken from food animals for testing for diseases and veterinary drug residues.

The Government completed a public consultation exercise on the proposed nutrition labelling scheme in early 2004 and commenced a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) study on the overall costs and benefits of introducing a nutritional labelling scheme in Hong Kong. The Government will take full account of the views collected during the public consultation exercise and the results of the RIA study before finalising the way forward.