Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) announced that it will transition from a “systems-based” approach to recognising foreign meat and poultry establishments to an “establishment or plant-based” registration system, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.

Under the new import protocol, US slaughtering, cutting, processing and cold storage facilities seeking to export raw meat and poultry products to Hong Kong must be registered with CFS prior to export. 

US slaughtering, cutting, processing, and cold storage facilities are encouraged to review the CFS list of US establishments to verify all company information is current and accurate. 

Registration is only required for raw meat and poultry products. Cooked and further processed products, such as ham, bacon, sausages and canned meat, are not subject to the new import protocol requirements.