Centre for Food Safety launches Food Safety Portal

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 23) launched its Food Trader Portal (FTP), a website serving as a one-stop electronic communication platform between food traders and the CFS.
 
     A CFS spokesperson said, "The CFS has actively sought to use IT to enhance its mode of operation and offer online services to assist the trade in recent years. Through the FTP, food traders may complete registration as food importers or distributors under the law, and starting from early 2020 they may also submit applications for import licences and import permission online, and report the arrival of certain imported food consignments around the clock."
 
     The spokesperson added, "The FTP will be rolled out in phases, starting with today's launch of the trader registration module which allows food traders to open FTP user accounts to receive food safety and import control notifications electronically and perform tasks online such as renewal of registration and updating of trader information. The functions of the FTP will be further enhanced in early 2020 with the introduction of online application for import licences and import permission for game, meat and poultry. After the completion of this phase, we will again progressively enhance the functions of the FTP to cover applications for the import of milk, frozen confections and eggs.
 
     "With the implementation of the FTP, the CFS will introduce a number of facilitating measures, including the use of simpler formats and application forms for import licences and import permission and extending the operating hours of the Import Licensing Office for processing online application for import licences and more. Food traders will then be able to make use of online services without having to send their staff to submit application forms in person at the CFS."
 
     In preparation for the rollout of the FTP, the CFS has organised training sessions to provide hands-on experience in use of the FTP for food traders. A series of promotional and tutorial videos on how to use the FTP have been produced and uploaded to the FTP website (www.ftp.cfs.gov.hk). Leaflets providing an overview of the FTP have also been distributed. Two seminars for importers of game, meat and poultry were held in November 2019 to help them get familiarised with the functions and operations of the FTP. About 200 trade representatives attended the seminars.
 
     The spokesperson stressed that while use of the FTP is voluntary, food traders are encouraged to open user accounts early to enjoy the convenient and fast services offered at the FTP.
 
     For more details, please visit the FTP at www.ftp.cfs.gov.hk.