As a city that gets the vast majority of its food and water from mainland China, Hong Kong is no stranger to food-safety fears. On Thursday, news that China’s Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd. had acquired Smithfield Foods Inc. SFD -1.83%─the largest U.S. pork producer and supplier of popular products to Hong Kong─touched off similar anxieties.
作为一个绝大部分食品和水依靠中国内地的城市，香港对食品安全担忧并不陌生。周四，中国双汇国际控股有限公司(Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.)收购Smithfield Foods Inc.的消息在香港引发类似担忧。Smithfield是美国最大的猪肉生产商，也是香港很多受欢迎产品的供应商。
Over 90% of Hong Kong’s meat products come from mainland China. But the city’s thriving expat community and demand from many health-conscious locals have also fueled a brisk business in meat imports from places such as North America and Australia, which are seen as a safer alternative.
香港市场上销售的肉类产品逾90%来自中国内地。但香港繁荣的外籍人士社区以及来自很多健康意识较强的当地人的需求也助推了肉类进口这门火爆的生意。进口肉类的来源地包括北美和澳大利亚。这些地区的肉类被视作安全性更高的替代品。
Winson Chan of Million (Far East) Ltd., which imports mostly U.S. and Canadian meats into Hong Kong, said Thursday that in addition to Smithfield’s pork meat, his company sells several shipping containers full of millions of Smithfield Inc. chicken hot dogs every month. The hot dogs, he said, are a popular breakfast and café food staple in Hong Kong, often served alongside instant noodles. Smithfield Inc. worked together with Million (Far East) Ltd in 2009 to create the product specifically for the Hong Kong market, he said.
万安（远东）有限公司(Million (Far East) Ltd.)的Winson Chan周四说，除了Smithfield的猪肉，他的公司每月还会销售Smithfield生产的装满几个海运集装箱的鸡肉热狗肠，数量能达到数百万根。他说这些热狗肠在香港是很受欢迎的早餐和餐馆主食，通常会搭配速食面一起销售。万安（远东）有限公司主要将美国和加拿大的肉类进口至香港。他说，2009年时Smithfield曾和万安公司合作打造适合香港市场的产品。
“We are very concerned about safety, because our customers are really concerned about food origin. We have to rely on reliable sources,” said Mr. Chan, who said he sells Smithfield products to the city’s two largest grocery chains, PARKnSHOP and Wellcome. “That’s why some of our customers were concerned about the acquisition.”
Winson Chan说，我们非常担心安全问题，因为我们的客户非常关心食品来源；我们必须依赖可靠的货源，这正是我们部分客户对此次收购非常担心的原因。他说其进口的Smithfield产品主要卖给香港最大的两家杂货连锁店百佳(PARKnSHOP)和惠康(Wellcome)。
However, Mr. Chan said that when he spoke to Smithfield representatives to convey such fears yesterday, he was told that the American company’s top management, sales strategy and plant operations wouldn’t change.
但Winson Chan说,昨天他向Smithfield的代表传达这样的担忧时，他被告知这家美国公司的高层管理人员、销售策略和工厂运营都不会改变。
“They said, ‘Don’t worry Winson, it’s just like when Hong Kong returned to China.’”
他们说，别担心，就像香港回归中国时各项制度不变一样。
While the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, it has remained largely self-governing and continues to operate with its own independent political and economic system.
香港曾是英国殖民地，1997年回归中国。回归后，香港在很大程度上保持自治，并按其独立的政治和经济体制继续运行。
In addition to Smithfield’s pork and chicken products, Shuanghui─China’s largest pork products company─also has a healthy presence in the Hong Kong market. A Shuanghui employee surnamed Zhang said Thursday that the company has been selling products in Hong Kong since 2001, mostly frozen sausages, including “crispy cheese sausage” and “honey crispy sausage,” to local supermarkets and fast food eateries. Based in Henan province, the company is the majority shareholder of China’s largest meat processor, whose company chairman Wan Long has been dubbed “China’s No. 1 Butcher.” According to company statements, Shuanghui slaughters some 15 million pigs a year.
除了Smithfield的猪肉和鸡肉产品，作为中国最大的猪肉制品企业，双汇在香港市场的占有率也很高。一位姓张的双汇员工周四说，该公司自2001年开始在香港向当地超市和快餐小吃店销售产品，主要是冷冻香肠，其中包括脆皮芝士肠和蜜辣香脆肠。该公司总部设在河南，是中国最大肉类处理企业的大股东。双汇董事长万隆被称作“中国第一屠夫长”。从该公司的财报看，双汇一年屠宰的生猪数量约为1,500万头。