15th Food Safety Week to jointly safeguard Macao’s food safety successfully concluded

MACAU, July 2 - The series of activities of the “15th Food Safety Week” organised by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) in June has concluded successfully. The event was aimed to raise public awareness regarding food safety through actively facilitating cooperation and exchange among government departments, the food sector, and academia, and hosting a range of promotional activities facing the community to popularise scientific information. It was well-received and attracted a total of 6,700 attendances, effectively drawing more attention from the whole community to food safety.

This year’s Food Safety Week featured a diverse range of activities taking place successively, including a food safety forum themed “Technological Supervision of Food Safety Progress” as well as dedicated sessions for the public, speaking tour for schools and associations, and public interactive publicity activities on food safety. During the event, experts and scholars shared insights on the application of smart monitoring technologies in areas such as source tracing and risk assessment. Members of the local food sector actively participated in various exchange activities, gaining a better understanding of the regulatory requirements of Macao and fulfilling their self-regulation responsibility. Moreover, a series of community and campus-based educational activities was organised to popularise food safety knowledge in an engaging manner, attracting participants of all ages, effectively raising public awareness and improving safe food handling skills.

As cases of food spoilage and foodborne illnesses generally spike during the hot and humid summer, the “Food Safety and Cool Summer” promotional activities were held in the community during the Food Safety Week, serving to remind the public that raw, cold, and ready-to-eat foods should be properly refrigerated at temperatures below 5°C, while hot foods must be kept above 60°C. Consumers were also advised to order takeaway food from nearby establishments to shorten delivery time. Meanwhile, the food sector was reminded to strictly manage ingredient inventory and avoid food preparation too early in advance. IAM highlighted that both the sector and the public should adhere to the “Five Key Points for Food Safety” and ensure proper food storage and handling to reduce food safety risks.

Ensuring food safety relies on the concerted efforts of the government, the sector, and the public. IAM will continue to launch diverse food safety promotional activities and deepen close collaboration with the public and the food sector in the future. Furthermore, it will continue to optimise regulatory mechanisms and step up routine inspections and food sampling to safeguard food safety in Macao.