182 Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries
Licensing of Food Premises and Other Trades
The FEHD is the licensing authority for food businesses. It also issues permits for the sale of restricted foods, including Chinese herb tea, milk, frozen confections, sushi and sashimi as well as licences for public entertainment places such as theatres, cinemas and entertainment machine centres. Additionally, it issues trade licences for private swimming pools, commercial bathhouses and factories that tan hides and process shark's fins, regarded as offensive trades. The FEHD also provides support to the Liquor Licensing Board, an independent statutory body that issues liquor licences (including club liquor licences). The Chief Executive appoints members of the board who meet about four times a month to consider licence applications.
During the year, the department received and processed 3 058 applications for food business licences, 1 209 permits for restricted foods, 1 098 licences for places of public entertainment, 37 licences for other trades, 854 liquor licences and club liquor licences, and 39 permits for karaoke establishments in premises with restaurant licences.
In line with the Government's policy of facilitating business operations in Hong Kong, the department continues to introduce ways to streamline licensing procedures.
The FEHD executed seven closure orders against one food premises where pathogenic Vibro Cholerae was identified in a sample of fish tank water, and six premises where food poisoning occurred.
Food Safety and Labelling
The FEHD is tasked with ensuring that food available for human consumption is safe and properly labelled. It has effective food control measures to do the job.
In May 2006, the Government set up a Centre for Food Safety (CFS) within the FEHD to further improve its monitoring of food. The department's Food Surveillance and Control Division and the Risk Assessment and Communication Division were brought under the CFS following the appointment of a controller for the centre.
Under the food surveillance programme, 65 206 samples of foodstuff were taken at import, wholesale and retail points in 2007 for chemical, microbiological and radiological testing as part of the work of ensuring food safety. In addition, 55 338 food labels were checked for compliance with legal requirements.
A total of 28 588 vehicles carrying vegetables, and 45 714 vehicles carrying live food animals including pigs, cattle, goats and poultry were inspected at the Food Control Office and Animal Inspection Station at Man Kam To during the year. A total of 10 968 280 live food animals were examined and 97 010 blood and 58 774 urine, faecal and tissue samples were taken for testing for disease and veterinary drug residues.
The Government plans to table an amendment regulation on nutrition labelling for prepackaged food in the Legislative Council in April 2008. The CFS is also reviewing the standards of food additives/preservatives, pesticides, veterinary drugs