About 140 experts from different countries and regions gathered at a symposium Friday to exchange views upon regulation of pesticide residues in food.

Jointly organized by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) of Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the European Commission, the one-and-a-half-day meeting offers a platform for attendees to discuss the difficulties and challenges faced in the issue.

Participants taking part in the event included representatives from the food trade, academia, government departments and relevant authorities of the Mainland and Macao.

Speaking at the opening of the symposium, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene of Hong Kong Cheuk Wing-hing said the use of pesticides and other chemicals was a common agricultural practice, and consumer exposure to pesticide residues in food was of considerable concern to some consumers, food producers, academics and government agencies.

"In Hong Kong, the Center for Food Safety is developing a regulatory framework on this subject, with the objectives of better protecting public health by facilitating effective regulatory control, as well as promoting harmonization between local and international standards," he said.

Cheuk said the symposium would give an overview of the regulation of pesticide residues in food, as well as the key steps in establishing standards for pesticide residues.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2009)