A new scheme is under way on the mainland to label consignments of vegetables destined for Hong Kong and ease growing fears over contaminated produce.
As part of the voluntary scheme in Guangdong, any farm exporting vegetables to Hong Kong will be rated on their use of pesticides. Track records will also be taken into account.
Vegetables produced from farms obtaining a first-class rating will be exempted from sample tests, said the Shenzhen Import/Export Commodities Inspection Bureau. For second-class farms, half of their exported vegetables will be analysed, while all the vegetables from third-class farms will be tested.
The move follows a spate of food poisoning cases recorded in Hong Kong last month.
At present, about 40 per cent of vegetables consumed in Hong Kong come from Shenzhen and Dongguan, where contaminated vegetables are regularly found.
Farmers often use excessive pesticide not only to kill disease but make produce look greener and healthier.