The Center for Food Safety of Hong Kong (CFS) Friday officially launched the Rapid Alert System (RAS) to enhance communication with the trade about food incidents and to facilitate prompt and appropriate action by traders.

"The center has been conducting surveillance every day to identify local and overseas food incidents of concern, assessing their implications for public health, and responding where necessary to reduce possible risks to the public," a spokesman for the CFS said.

"In the process, timely communication is vital for traders to take swift and proper actions including stopping sale of or recalling concerned food products, and for trade associations to disseminate information to members," said the spokesman.

Through the RAS, e-mails or fax messages are sent more effectively to the trade to alert them to food incidents with potential local impact. The system also has the option of sending short message service alerts advising the recipients to check for the e-mails and fax messages about the incident.

The CFS has been piloting the RAS since September 2007. As of Jan. 31, 2008, 47 rapid alerts have been sent through the new system. At present, over 800 local traders are on the distribution list.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2008)