As “fresh chickens" will be introduced to the Macao market soon, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) held a briefing on 31 January to explain to the sector about the technical requirements for “fresh chickens", the rapid border-crossing and inspection procedures of Guangdong Province and Macao, and the points to note regarding food safety and hygiene for retail sale of “fresh chickens", so as to ensure the food safety and product quality of the “fresh chickens" available on the market. IAM encourages more local food businesses to engage in the sale of “fresh chickens", actively explore and organise sources of supply, in order to provide the people in Macao with more diversified, safe meat products.
 
The briefing was held in the Patane Activity Centre. Local businesses engaging in the supply of fresh and live food, practitioners of the food and beverage sector, and representatives from sector associations were invited to attend. During the briefing, IAM reminded members of the sector that “fresh chickens" are fresh and live products offered for sale on the day of slaughter, and encouraged them to carry out prior assessments and actively explore and organise sources of supply. In the selling process, the original packaging of “fresh chickens" should be maintained and the chickens must be stored and displayed in refrigerated facilities at the temperature of 0 to 4°C for consumers to identity and purchase.
 
Furthermore, IAM has developed the “Hygienic Guidelines on Retail Sale of Fresh Chickens", which determine the food hygiene requirements and points to note in relation to the transport, storage, display and sale of “fresh chickens", and will continue to carry out episodic health inspections as well as testing of random samples of retail establishments of fresh and live food, with the aim of ensuring the food safety of such food products in Macao.
 
The SAR Government has been paying attention to the quality, safety and stability of the supply sources of fresh and live food products to Macao. With the great support of the General Administration of Customs of People's Republic of China, the first batch of “fresh chickens" will be supplied to Macao on 2 February. They are immediately transported in cold chain transport vehicles after being slaughtered in Mainland China, and arrive at Macao through rapid border-crossing channel for sale, to fit the habit of the people in Macao of eating fresh chickens. IAM will actively strengthen cooperation with relevant departments in Mainland China and pay attention to the diversified import of fresh and live food products to Macao, encouraging the local sector to actively explore sources of supply, in order to provide consumers with fresh and live food products that are safe and stable.​