Genetically modified food could be labelled sooner than expected, with policy principles likely by the end of the year, a forum heard yesterday.
Deputy Director of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Dr Leung Pak-yin told the forum on GM food: 'There is a very good chance that mandatory labelling will go ahead.
'I think that is the general direction. Hong Kong is not lagging behind other countries on this issue.
'Other countries might claim to be introducing labelling but they still have to work out standards of testing and monitoring.' In a departure from the previous government line, Dr Leung said such a system could be in place before 2003.
That was the deadline set for the United Nation's Codex Alimentarius Commission to establish internationally agreed standards for GM testing and labelling.
'We will brief the Legislative Council in May and we expect to be able to finalise policy direction by the end of this year,' Dr Leung said.
'We will brief Legco and the public in full by that time.' Yesterday's public forum was the first of two organised by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. The second, in May, will focus on labelling.
