A food safety form entitled “Seizing Opportunities and Embracing Challenges”, hosted by the Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) at Crowne Plaza Macau hotel yesterday, highlighted the “convenient customs clearance” measures implemented for “made-in-Macau” food exports to the Chinese mainland.
The one-day forum, themed “Selling to the Mainland: Policy Insights & E-commerce Strategies”, aimed to strengthen food safety exchanges and collaboration between Macau, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, broaden the market perspectives of local food businesses, and advance high-quality growth in the industry, according to a IAM statement.
Over 350 experts and industry representatives from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau took part in the forum’s in-depth discussions.
According to the statement, there are more than 50 types of made-in-Macau food products, registered under the “Agreement on Cooperation in Safety Control of Food Products Manufactured in Macao for Export to Mainland China” (“Cooperation Agreement”), signed between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) in Beijing and the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) Secretariat for Administration and Justice in 2020, which in 2023 was followed up by the bilateral “Memorandum on the Inspection, Quarantine and Veterinarian Health Requirements of Meat Product Exports to the Mainland from Macao”.
Around 10 types of meat products have been successfully registered in the Chinese mainland on IAM’s recommendation to China Customs (as the GAAC is also known), including traditional baked souvenir food products, ready-to-eat bird’s nest products and meat products, effectively enhancing the competitive advantage of made-in-Macau food products in the mainland market, the statement pointed out.
The statement added that made-in-Macau food products provided with health certificates issued by the Municipal Affairs Bureau are given priority in inspections by mainland customs officers, and products registered under the “Cooperation Arrangement” do not need to be held back for random inspection, allowing the fresh and high-quality products to enter the Chinese mainland market “without a hitch”.
IAM President Chao Wai Ieng noted in his speech that the forum centred on innovative measures under the central government’s “Smart Customs Initiative”, streamlined customs collaboration between Macau and the Chinese mainland, and the key role of new media platforms in expanding mainland markets
He also said that the forum aimed to deliver policy analyses and practical insights, striving to provide clear guidance for the industry, facilitating the smooth entry of “Made-in-Macau” food products into the market of China’s mainland, while also unlocking broader development opportunities.
Chao added that over the coming week, a series of engaging thematic activities will be hosted, to foster exchanges and collaboration between government and industry, collectively exploring new development pathways for Macau’s food industry.
Participants pose after yesterday’s opening ceremony of the “Seizing Opportunities and Embracing Challenges” one-day food safety forum hosted by the Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) at Crowne Plaza Macau hotel. – Photo: Ida Cheong
