Kinmen promoting tourism via food safety certification system

The Kinmen County government said Wednesday that it will continue to promote a food safety certification scheme for local restaurants and other foodservice establishments in an effort to boost tourism in the offshore county.

Since the food safety certification system was launched in 2012, seven caterers, restaurateurs and cafe operators have been granted food hygiene certificates, according to a county government spokesman.

The system was implemented by pooling the resources of the county's construction, tourism, public health and environmental protection departments with the aim of helping food businesses improve their operations and quality of service, the spokesman said.

Before issuing the certificates, the county government has been offering training courses in areas such as marketing, product development and food safety for stakeholders in the food sector, the spokesman said.

This year, the certification process will focus on sanitation and will include inspection of restaurant kitchens to ensure clean, safe and healthy eating environments, according to the spokesman.

In an effort to encourage greater participation by registered operators of restaurants, cafes and catering businesses, the county government this year is offering subsidies of NT$100,000 (US$3,183) to NT$500,000 to establishments that perform well, the spokesman said.s

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel