FACT SHEET. Overview of organic food in Hong Kong

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1 FACT SHEET Overview of organic food in Hong Kong 1. Introduction 1.1 Organic food refers to food that is grown, handled and processed according to a set of organic agriculture and production standards. According to the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 1, organic agriculture is "a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agroecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity". In organic agriculture, chemical herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers are avoided to be used in growing crops while antibiotic, growth hormones and chemical feed additives are avoided to be used for livestock husbandry. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people. 1.2 In March 2011, the Government commissioned a consultancy study to analyse issues pertinent to the trend of increasing consumption of organic food in Hong Kong. The first stage of the consultancy study involved, among other things, conducting surveys among consumers and industry stakeholders to gauge their level of understanding of organic food. The second stage of the consultancy study involved: (a) studying the organic food sector and regulatory regime of some other jurisdictions; (b) assessing whether the production and sale of organic food in Hong Kong should be regulated; and 1 The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established under the Joint Food Standards Programme by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization in 1963 to develop food standards, guidelines and related codes of practice. The main purposes of the Joint Food Standards Programme are protecting health of the consumers, ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting co-ordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations. Research Division page 1

2 (c) examining how to enhance consumer education and information with regard to organic food. 1.3 The Government will update the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene on the progress of the consultancy study at its meeting on 5 February This fact sheet aims at providing information on the organic food sector in Hong Kong and previous deliberations related to the subject at the Legislative Council. 2. Organic food sector in Hong Kong Development of local organic food market 2.1 In Hong Kong, a wide range of organic food products, including fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and fish, are sold in channels such as supermarkets, department stores, wet markets, health food stores and farmers' markets. Except for some organic produce that is grown in local organic farms, most organic food products are imported from other places. Organic food is generally more expensive than conventional food as a result of its limited supply relative to demand, and higher production, marketing and distribution costs There were about 451 organic farms in Hong Kong as at November Since December 2000, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has been providing technical advice and marketing support to assist conventional farmers to switch to organic farming under the Organic Farming Support Service (formerly known as the Organic Farming Conversion Scheme). A total of 203 farms had joined the scheme since On average, the local organic farms produce about five tonnes of organic vegetables per day, equivalent to 0.2% of the total fresh vegetables supply in Hong Kong Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2012). Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (2013). Food and Health Bureau (2013). Research Division page 2

3 2.3 According to a consumer survey conducted by the Hong Kong Organic Resource Center ("HKORC") 5 in 2011, about 60% of the respondents interviewed had ever purchased organic products. Among these respondents, about 30% purchased organic products at least once a week and 3% purchased on a daily basis. The proportion of organic product purchasers who spent over HK$500 per month on organic products increased from 9% in 2008 to 16.2% in Among those respondents who had never purchased organic products, 88% had reservation about the high price of organic products and 59% were concerned about not knowing how to discern genuine organic products. 6 Certification and labelling of organic food 2.4 As organic food cannot be differentiated from non-organic food by appearance of the products, organic farms and food processors rely on the organic certification system to assure consumers that their products are genuine organic products. Organic certification is the system to inspect organic farms and food processors by independent certification organizations to ensure their processes comply with the specific set of organic agriculture and production standards. 7 Certified organic farms and food processors can affix organic certification labels on their products to assure consumers that their products meet the specific organic standards HKORC was co-founded by the Hong Kong Baptist University, the Produce Green Foundation and the Sustainable Ecological Ethical Development Foundation in December 2002 with funding support from the Agricultural Development Fund of the Vegetable Marketing Organization. It has provided independent organic certification services to farmers and food processors since 2004 to facilitate the development of organic farming in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre (2012a & 2012b). The organic certification system emphasizes on the production process rather than the quality of the food products, such as the material inputs must be organic or harmless to the environment; the production process must not bring damage to the environment; and organic and non-organic production must be separated. Research Division page 3

4 2.5 HKORC and the Hong Kong Organic Certification Centre are the two private agencies providing organic certification services in Hong Kong. Their certification systems and the standards are not supervised by the Government. HKORC had certified 109 local crops production farms, five processing and handling operations and two aquaculture operations as at January The Hong Kong Organic Certification Centre, established by the Hong Kong Organic Agriculture & Ecological Research Association, had provided services to around 50 organic farms and food processors in Hong Kong and the Mainland since Regulation of organic food 2.6 At present, there is no specific legislation governing the production, certification and labelling of organic food in Hong Kong. Same as conventional food, organic food is governed by the food legislation in Hong Kong, including Part V of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) 10 and the Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612). 11 The making of organic claims for food products must also comply with the relevant provisions in the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Cap. 362) Deliberations at the Legislative Council 3.1 Members have discussed the issues related to organic food at meetings of the Council and the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene. Major views and concerns of Members are summarized in the ensuing paragraphs Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre (2013). Hong Kong Organic Agriculture & Ecological Research Association (2011) Part V of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance sets out the legal provisions governing general protection for food purchasers, offences in connection with sale of unfit and adulterated food, composition and labelling of food, food hygiene, and seizure and destruction of unfit food. The Food Safety Ordinance provides for food safety control measures, including a registration scheme for food importers and food distributors, and a requirement for food traders to maintain proper records of the movements of food to enhance food traceability. The Trade Descriptions Ordinance contains provisions for prohibiting false trade descriptions; false, misleading or incomplete information; and false marks and misstatements in respect of goods provided in the course of trade or suppliers of such goods. Research Division page 4

5 Consumer education on organic food and the organic certification and labelling system 3.2 At the meeting of the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene on 10 January 2012, some members expressed concern that the general public still had limited knowledge about organic food and the ways to differentiate organic food from conventional food notwithstanding the growing popularity of the organic food industry in Hong Kong. Some members also pointed out that some customers might have been cheated by retailers which made misleading or false organic claims about their products. They considered that the Administration should raise consumer awareness of organic products through enhanced promotion and education, and provide consumers with clear information on the certification agencies of organic food and how to identify organically grown produce. 3.3 According to the Administration, the consultancy study that it commissioned in March 2011 indicated that consumers were unsure how to recognize organic food and were confused by various organic labels in the market. Taking into account the relatively small size of local organic market, the Administration would study how to enhance consumer education and information with regard to organic food in the second stage of the consultancy study. Establishing a certification system for organic products in Hong Kong 3.4 At the Council meeting of 8 March 2006, a Member raised a question on whether the Administration would plan to introduce legislation to require organic food labels on the packages of food to be certified by an authorized independent body. The Administration replied that there was no significant difference between the risk of organic and conventional food from the perspective of food safety and whether or not the organic labels were certified by an authorized independent body would not bring about concrete improvements on food safety. The Administration considered that there was no pressing need to introduce such legislation. Research Division page 5

6 3.5 At the meeting of the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene on 10 January 2012, a member was concerned that consumers might be confused about various organic labels certified by overseas certification agencies and enquired whether overseas certifications were accredited by the Administration and how consumer confidence in the authenticity of various organic labels could be maintained. A member also enquired about when the Administration would establish an organic certification system in Hong Kong to regulate the production and labelling of organic food. 3.6 The Administration replied that a product with a certified organic label represented that it was produced by an operation conforming to organic standards adopted by the certification body concerned. As different countries had their own concepts and rationales of organic production, the organic standards adopted by one country might not be applicable to another country. In balancing the complexities of the organic processes of individual countries and the incidental inspection requirements which might arise if a formal recognition system were to be developed in Hong Kong, the Administration considered that enhancing public education and information about the concepts of organic production and labelling would be more practical. 3.7 The Administration further advised that it would carefully consider whether it was necessary to establish a certification system for organic products in Hong Kong in the second stage of the consultancy study. The Administration would take into account local circumstances, such as the market size and consumption trend of organic products, in considering whether the issue of organic food should be handled by legislative control, administrative measure or public education. Research Division 1 February 2013 Tel: Fact sheets are compiled for Members and Committees of the Legislative Council. They are not legal or other professional advice and shall not be relied on as such. Fact sheets are subject to copyright owned by the Legislative Council Commission (the Commission). The Commission permits accurate reproduction of fact sheets for non-commercial use in a manner not adversely affecting the Legislative Council, provided that acknowledgement is made stating the Research Division of the Legislative Council Secretariat as the source and one copy of the reproduction is sent to the Legislative Council Library. Research Division page 6

7 References 1. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. (2013) Organic Farming. Available from: ure/agr_orgfarm/agr_orgfarm.html [Accessed January 2013]. 2. Codex Alimentarius Commission. (2012) Guidelines for the production, processing, labelling and marketing of organically produced foods. Available from: [Accessed January 2013]. 3. Consumer Council. (2010) Press Releases: Call for legislation to protect consumer interest in organic foods CHOICE # May. Available from: ss_releases/p40301.html [Accessed January 2013]. 4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2013) Organic Agriculture. Available from: [Accessed January 2013]. 5. Food and Health Bureau. (2012) Organic Food. Paper submitted to the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of the Legislative Council for information on 10 January LC Paper No. CB(2)719/11-12(05). 6. Food and Health Bureau. (2013) Report on Consultancy Study on Organic Food. Paper submitted to the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of the Legislative Council for information on 5 February LC Paper No. CB(2)572/12-13(07). 7. Hong Kong Organic Agriculture & Ecological Research Association. (2011) Available from: [Accessed January 2013]. 8. Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre. (2012a) Organic Food Labelling Situation in Hong Kong? Available from: [Accessed January 2013]. Research Division page 7

8 9. Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre. (2012b) Press release: 40% citizens identified organic products by product claims only give illegal merchants a chance. 6 March. Available from: [Accessed January 2013]. 10. Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre. (2013) Available from: [Accessed January 2013]. 11. Minutes of Meeting of the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of the Legislative Council. (2012) 10 January. LC Paper No. CB(2)1295/ Official Record of Proceedings of the Legislative Council. (2006) 8 March. 13. Produce Green Foundation. (2013) Available from: [Accessed January 2013]. 14. 消費者委員會 : 有機食物是否較有營養較安全?, 選擇月刋, 2005 年, 第 344 期 15. 消費者委員會 : 教你選購名副其實的有機食物, 選擇月刋, 2010 年, 第 403 期 Research Division page 8