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This report provides guidelines on Hong Kong’s food import regulations.

Thailand offers strong potential for U.S. agricultural exports, which reached $1.4 billion in 2024. The United States ranked as Thailand’s 9th largest supplier of consumer-oriented products, with $429 million in exports.

Hong Kong does not have any certification changes for food imports since the last report submitted in July 2024.

Hong Kong’s economic growth reached 2.5 percent in 2024, at the lower end of most forecasts.

Thailand’s Department of Fisheries (DOF) has established procedures to certify aquatic animals developed through genome editing technology for domestic research and development, production, and/or distribution.

The Hong Kong government (HKG) has notified proposed amendments to its Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) in Food Regulations to the World Trade Organization (WTO) (G/SPS/N/HKG/50) on December 16, 2024.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration announced on November 29, 2024, that it has repealed the requirement for certification of copies of verifiable export certificates for imported foods, including fresh fruit and vegetable shipments, into Thailand.

Due to recent recalls by Hong Kong authorities of food products containing ethylene oxide (ETO), ATO Hong Kong reminds all U.S. exporters that ETO is not permitted in food products for sale in Hong Kong.

The report details the Department of Agriculture's regulation on the criteria, methods, and conditions for certifying genome-edited plants. This regulation enables Thailand to access new plant varieties, enhancing the country’s ability to address food security and climate change challenges.

On August 13, the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS) confirmed to ATO Hong Kong that effective February 14, 2025, the Special Autonomous Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will transition from a “systems-based” approach to recognizing foreign meat and poultry establishments to an “establishment or plant-based” registration system.

This report provides guidelines on Hong Kong’s food import regulations.

Hong Kong does not have any certification changes for food imports since the last report submitted in July 2023. This report lists the certificates required by the Hong Kong Government (HKG) for U.S. agricultural and food exports to Hong Kong. Certificate samples are included in the appendix.