196 Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries
dedicated webpage (www.memorial.gov.hk). This service is also available through mobile phone (m.memorial.gov.hk).
Columbaria
The FEHD is building a new columbarium and a garden of remembrance at the Wo Hop Shek cemetery to meet public demand. In addition, the Government has identified 24 potential sites across the territory for columbarium development in different districts.
Responding to the public's call for enhancing the regulation of private columbaria, the FHB put forward in December 2011 a proposed licensing scheme for public consultation.
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 herbal tea, milk, frozen confections, sushi and sashimi, as well as licences for places of public entertainment such as theatres, cinemas and entertainment machine centres. It issues licences for private swimming pools, commercial bathhouses as well as for factories engaged in offensive trades such as slaughtering of food animals. The FEHD provides executive and secretarial support to the Liquor Licensing Board, an independent statutory body that issues liquor licences, including those for clubs.
During the year, the FEHD handled 3 260 applications for food business licences, 893 permits for restricted foods, 1558 licences for places of public entertainment, 35 licences for other trades, 930 liquor and club liquor licences, and 19 permits for karaoke establishments in premises with restaurant licences.
The FEHD continues to streamline licensing procedures in line with the Government's policy of facilitating business operations in Hong Kong. Since mid- March 2011, it has been accepting nominations of single persons to act as hygiene managers and/or hygiene supervisors of food stalls in supermarkets or food courts which operate under one licence. This measure reduces business compliance costs.
In June 2011, the FEHD shortened to eight days, from 20 days, the time needed to process applications for live broadcasts in licensed cinemas.
During the year, the FHB conducted a public consultation exercise to gauge public views on the regulation of upstairs bars and further streamlining of licensing procedures. The Government will map out the way forward after analysing the views received.
Food Safety and Labelling
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) established within the FEHD is responsible for ensuring that food sold in Hong Kong is safe for human consumption.
Under the food surveillance programme, about 64 900 samples of food were taken at import, wholesale and retail points in 2011 for chemical, microbiological