HONG KONG: Baptist University's Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre has called for government to implement a certification program, to ensure that consumers who are prepared to buy the premium priced organic foods get what they pay for.

The center carried out a consumer survey during August and September last year, and found Hong Kong shoppers eager to join the trend to organically produced foods but hesitate to do so because there is no assurance the produce they buy truly is organic.

The center, which has been funded by the Vegetable Marketing Organization, since 2002, is mandated by its statutory, sponsoring organization to implement a voluntary certification scheme for organic vegetables and to carry out independent organic certification services.

The center also says there should be more public education concerning the merits of organic products.

Of the 503 individuals surveyed in August and September, 90 percent said they had purchased organic food at one time or another. That's three times the percentage revealed in a similar survey taken in 2005. But 53 percent of those surveyed said they buy organic food less than once a month. Those claiming they bought organic produce three or more times weekly amounted to a meager 2.4 percent of the sample.

Asked why they did not buy organically produced foods more frequently, 53.6 percent of respondents cited lack of certification labels; 39.7 percent confessed they lacked knowledge to distinguish genuine organic foods, especially when organic and non-organic foods are barely delineated on market shelves.

The value of credible certification also was revealed in consumer responses to other questions.

Eighty percent said their confidence in organic food rests with a certification system. Forty-seven percent stated they attached great importance to the reputation of the retailer when choosing whether to buy organic foods.

"Retailers should sell more certified organic products which have labels providing details of the products and raw materials. They should display organic products and non-organic products separately to win consumer confidence," said center director Prof Jonathan Wong.

He added, 74 percent of those who took part in the survey said the absence of a government regulatory mechanism affected their confidence when it came to buying organic food.

"This shows there is a need to introduce a regulatory system in the organic products market," he commented. "At present, non-government agencies like our center are doing the job voluntarily but we lack enforcement power to remedy irregularities."

A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said the government has enacted legislation to ensure food safety.

He said organic food is governed by the same safety standards as other food products.

But the spokesman was vague in response to questions about whether the government intended to implement a statutory certification system for organic produce.

(HK Edition 01/15/2009 page1)