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Hong Kong does not have any certification changes for food imports since the last report submitted in June 2021. This report lists the certificates required by the Hong Kong Government (HKG) for U.S. agricultural and food exports to Hong Kong.

Despite a small population of 7.4 million people, Hong Kong is the seventh-largest export market for U.S. consumer-ready agricultural products. Hong Kong has always been an attractive market for innovative U.S. food and beverage products as well as a gateway to the region.

The following changes have been made to the 2022 FAIRS report: 1) Section II – Labeling. Effective December 1, 2023, food containing hydrogenated oils must be labeled. 2) Section III – Packaging. Glass and plastic bottles will be subject to additional levies. 3) Section VI – Other Requirements, Regulations, and Registration Measures.

The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department is in the process of mapping out legislative initiatives coupled with public education to enhance waste management. U.S. food exports to the city could be impacted by the government’s adoption of various producer responsibility schemes (PRSs) relating to plastic and glass beverage containers by which manufacturers/importers are expected to pay a levy.

In the first quarter of 2022, U.S. agricultural exports fell to the lowest level in four years. While expanding U.S. direct exports to China, and lingering shipping issues continue to drive the overall decline in U.S. agricultural exports to Hong Kong, government restrictions in response to the city’s fifth wave of the pandemic exacerbated the drop in U.S. agricultural sales.

The Hong Kong wine market has stayed resilient since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local foodservice business has suffered the most as the operation of restaurants and bars were often curbed to contain the virus. However, wine retail sales injected energy to a sluggish market and enabled the continuation of wine consumption in Hong Kong.

In 2021, the total value of U.S. agricultural and food exports to Hong Kong dropped 12 percent compared to 2020, continuing its decline from the 2017 peak and reaching its lowest level since 2008. The overall drop in exports was driven primarily by lower sales of consumer-ready products which offset recoveries in other product categories.

In 2021, Hong Kong was the thirteenth largest market for U.S. pet food exports and a hub for pet food trade to the region. Hong Kong pet owners welcome U.S. pet food for its safety and quality. Despite lower exports in 2021, the United States is still the lead supplier, holding a 29 percent share of the Hong Kong pet food market.

The Hong Kong market is signaling good prospects for organic products.

The Hong Kong government maintains a Food Incident Surveillance System (FISS) to monitor and proactively respond to foreign food incidents that could impact food products entering Hong Kong. In 2021, the CFS detected around 2,200 food incidents from the FISS.

On April 6, the Hong Kong government announced that during precautionary testing at the point of import, the packaging sample of a Brazilian offal shipment tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The Hong Kong government notified the World Trade Organization that it adjusted the ban on commercial imports of live rodents and lagomorphs to cover only commercial imports of live hamsters effective on April 1, 2022. In 2021, Hong Kong’s global imports of small mammals grew 14 percent to $2.5 million.