Thailand's new food products welcomed in Hong Kong

BANGKOK, February 14 (TNA) - AEON Stores (Hong Kong) welcome new items of food products from Thailand, set to be first showcased at "AEON Thailand Food Fair 2017" next month. Malee Chokelamlert, Director-General of the Department of International Trade Promotion, under the Ministry of Commerce, told journalists on Tuesday that the new items of potential Thai food products will be showcased at all 12 branches of Japan-based AEON Stores in Hong Kong during the "AEON Thailand Food Fair 2017", set to be held during May 11-24. Malee said the upcoming Thai food fair in Hong Kong is a result of a recent sourcing trip to Thailand, organized by her department's overseas trade promotion office in the China-ruled business island, during which a team of executives of AEON Stores (Hong Kong) held trade talks with their Thai counterparts from farm, food and halal produce businesses at her ministry on the outskirts of Bangkok. Malee noted that the executives of AEON Stores (Hong Kong) expressed their interest in such new items of Thai food products as ice cream, dried fruits, a variety of chili paste, instant noodle, ready-to-eat food, as well as rice and bean snacks and coconut-extracted products like coconut powder milk and coconut juice. According to the senior official, the executives of AEON Stores (Hong Kong) were looking for new items of quality Thai food products which should meet the taste of Hong Kong's consumers so that they will be showcased at next month's 14-day food fair held across Hong Kong. The senior official revealed that the executive team of AEON Stores (Hong Kong) also took the opportunity to brief their Thai counterparts from 58 companies on Hong Kong's rules and regulations of imported products, procecures to seek an official approval of imported goods labels and logistics. Two-way trade between Thailand and Hong Kong stands at about 13.07 billion US dollars, most of which, or about 11.47 billion US dollars, are Thai exports to Hong Kong. Top exports of Thai food produce to Hong Kong now include fresh and frozen Thai fruits, rice, fishery products and poultry, totally worth about 841.21 million US dollars. (TNA)