IACM cooperates with Food and Economic Safety Authority of Portugal

José Tavares (left) and Pedro Portugal Gaspar

To implement cooperation on food safety between Macau and Portugal, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) and Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE) of Portugal held their first working meeting in Macau yesterday.

Both sides conducted discussions related to safeguarding food safety. The discussions covered topics such as the establishment of a notification method for food safety information and the establishment of more opportunities for Macau to participate in food safety workshops and meetings in the European Union with Portugal serving as Macau’s channel in the European Union. The Macau side also intends to grasp the methods and equipment required to test food imported from Portugal, to achieve consistency in test standards in Macau and Portugal.

In October last year, the MSAR government signed a cooperation agreement on surveillance and monitoring of food activities with Portugal. In accordance with the content of the agreement, the working teams of both sides take turns to convene a working meeting each year and conduct technical and operational exchanges in areas such as laboratory tests, research and studies.

To implement the content of the concerned agreement, José Tavares, chairman of Administration Committee of IACM and Pedro Portugal Gaspar, General Inspector of ASAE of Portugal, held the first bilateral working meeting yesterday.

According to a statement issued by IACM, Tavares said that the meeting “would help to further understand the skills, supervision and technique of food production in both places, strengthening the confidence in food trade activities between Macau and Portugal and promoting the food safety in Macau to attain international level.”

After the meeting, ASAE of Portugal will conduct a three week training for practitioners in food safety work in Macau, which will cover law, tests and inspection, and food safety.