BUD Fund and SME Export Marketing Fund to implement enhancement measures
The Trade and Industry Department (TID) announced today (March 13) that it would implement enhancement measures for the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) and the SME Export Marketing Fund (EMF) to provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a more focused and sustainable manner.
A TID spokesperson said that the Government had been providing a comprehensive suite of support services to SMEs, including funding support and capacity-building services. During the pandemic and the post-pandemic recovery periods, the Government injected a total of $2 billion into the BUD Fund and implemented special measures for the EMF to extend the funding scope to cover exhibitions and online exhibitions targeting the local market, and relax the eligibility criteria to include non-SMEs. The Government also provides "four-in-one" integrated services to strengthen the provision of information to SMEs. In addition, the Government has allocated $100 million to gradually enhance the services of "SME ReachOut" in the ensuing five years starting from 2023 by stepping up support for SMEs to apply for government funding, as well as providing capacity-building services for SMEs. The Government has also assisted SMEs in taking out loans through the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme, and the 2024 Policy Address has announced various enhancement measures such as allowing borrowing enterprises under the Scheme to apply for a principal moratorium for up to 12 months.
The 2024 Policy Address and the 2025-26 Budget have allocated a combined total of $2.5 billion to the funding schemes supporting SMEs to help them cope with the various uncertainties in the global economy. At the same time, the demand for government funding support has surged sharply in recent years. The number of applications for the BUD Fund in 2024 increased by over 320 per cent as compared with that in 2019, and that for the EMF increased by 87 per cent over the same period. Since its inception in 2012, the BUD Fund has approved a total funding amount of $6.2 billion, and about $5.43 billion was approved in the past six years(i.e. 2019-2024). In other words, close to 90 per cent of the funding has been approved in this recent period.
The spokesperson said, "Supporting SMEs remains one of the Government's important policies, but we are also mindful of the fact that all support measures should be subject to constant review to ensure that they remain effective in the ever-changing economic environment. We should provide necessary support to SMEs in a timely, focused and financially sustainable manner."
The spokesperson continued, "We will institute enhancement measures to provide more targeted support to SMEs, encourage them to enhance competitiveness and tap into markets outside Hong Kong. Firstly, each applicant enterprise will be able to submit one 'Easy BUD' application every three months, instead of every six months at present. Moreover, the funding scope of the 'Easy BUD' application will be expanded to include the establishment of online sales platform. Furthermore, to assist enterprises in restructuring their business operations in the face of rising trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions, the BUD Fund will also expressly provide for funding support for professional fees associated with the establishment of new business entities in eligible markets."
To focus its limited resources to equip enterprises for upgrading and transformation, the Government will consolidate the EMF into the BUD Fund upon expiry of the EMF's special measures on June 30, 2026. Enterprises may undertake promotional activities in the context of upgrading and transformation to attain synergy.
At the same time, to ensure financial sustainability of the funding schemes, the Government will implement measures such that the BUD Fund and the EMF will be utilised in the most productive manner. These will involve adjustments to the funding ceiling, matching ratio, and rationalisation of other parameters of the BUD Fund and the EMF, as detailed at the Annex. These measures will apply with respect to applications received from 0.00am, March 14, 2025, onwards.
The BUD Fund provides funding to encourage non-listed Hong Kong enterprises to develop business in 40 economies with which Hong Kong has signed free trade agreements and/or investment promotion and protection agreements through branding, upgrading and restructuring, and promoting sales. Established in 2001, the EMF aims to encourage SMEs to participate in export marketing activities.
Details of the BUD Fund and the EMF are available at www.bud.hkpc.org/en and emf.tid.gov.hk/enrespectively. For enquiries, please contact the Secretariat of the BUD Fund (Tel: 2788 6088) and the EMF Branch of the TID (Tel: 2398 5127).
CFS to follow up certain batches of powdered infant and young children formula with possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 10) said that, it took initiative to meet with Nestlé Hong Kong again today, and confirmed the company's today announcement of an additional batch of powdered infant and young children formula suspected to have possibly used the raw material concerned. Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall. The CFS has collected samples of powdered infant and young children formula from the market for Bacillus cereus testing, the test results so far were satisfactory. The Environmental and Ecology Bureau is also closely monitoring the supply situation of other formula milk powder and maintaining communication with other major suppliers. It is noted that there is sufficient formula milk powder to meet the demand.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), Photo source: reference image
The spokesman said, the CFS has been actively following up on Nestlé company's voluntary and precautionary recalls of certain batches of its powdered infant and young children formula in certain areas in Europe due to possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus in the individual raw material. According to the latest information from Nestlé Hong Kong today, an additional batch of its powdered infant and young children formula imported into Hong Kong might have used the raw material concerned. The CFS had earlier enhanced surveillance in the market and collected a sample from the above batch for testing of Bacillus cereus. The test result of the sample was satisfactory. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall.
Product details are as follows:
Product name (Net weight): NAN PRO 1 2 HMO (800g)
Batch number: 51670742F2
Best-before date: June 16, 2027
Place of Origin: Germany
"The CFS met Nestlé Hong Kong again today, urging them to properly handle the product recall issue and respond to public enquiries, in order to safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests. In addition, the CFS and Nestlé Hong Kong have jointly followed up, six suspected affected batches of infant and young children formula products that had not entered the market were marked and sealed. An additional 15 batches are currently en route to Hong Kong and will also be marked and sealed upon arrival. The CFS will continue to closely monitor the recall matters and remain fully committed to ensuring food safety, " the spokesman said.
Nestlé Hong Kong has initiated a recall of the affected batches of the products concerned. For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may contact the company through the following channels:
Consumer services hotline: 2599 8874 / 2797 6031/ 2179 8136 (Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm)
Email: consumerservices@hk.nestle.com
WhatsApp: 5283 4139 (NESTLÉ® NAN®) / 2599 8871 (Wyeth® Nutrition)
Online form: forms.office.com/e/BhqMhWfsUG?origin=lprLink
Consumers may choose to bring along the products (brand new or opened) for refund at place of purchase, or at exclusive service counters of Nestlé Nutrition Services from January 13 (Tuesday) onwards, to settle the recall and refund of the batches of the products concerned. Details of the exclusive service counters are as follows:
Kowloon Services Counter
Address: G/F, Park Hovan Commercial Building, 18 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (MTR Jordon Station Exit D)
Contact number: 3996 8196
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm; Sunday, 1pm to 5.30pm (except public holidays)
Hong Kong Services Counter
Address: 1/F, Ka Nin Wah Commercial Building, 423-425 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong (MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B)
Contact number: 3996 8197
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm (except Sundays and public holidays)
The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted earlier that certain batches of Nestlé powdered infant formula were being voluntarily recalled in Europe due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS has immediately initiated follow up actions, published food incident posts to inform the public and the trade about the issue, and has been actively following up on the incident and enhanced surveillance.
Over the past three days (as of 4pm on January 9), the FEHD received a total of 18 food complaints and enquiries suspected to be related to the infant and young children formula products, including one anonymous complaint without contact information. The CFS and the Environmental Hygiene Branch have promptly followed up on all cases, including contacting the parties concerned to obtain details and collecting samples for testing. In addition, the CFS has referred the cases to the health department for follow-up. At present, no food poisoning cases related to the formula have been recorded.
Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced in food by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
The spokesman urged members of the public not to let infants and young children consume the affected batches of the products, and to seek medical treatment for infants or young children who felt unwell after taking the products concerned. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batches of the products immediately.
"The CFS continues to closely monitor the developments of the situation, follow up and take appropriate action," the spokesman said.
The infant formula of Nestlé, Photo source: online image
