Chapter 10
Food Safety,
Environmental
Hygiene,
Agriculture and Fisheries
With more than 90 per cent of its food imported, Hong Kong devotes considerable efforts to safeguarding the wide variety of food available for sale. The government is committed to maintaining a clean and hygienic living environment and to protecting the public from threats of zoonotic disease.
Organisational Framework
The Food and Health Bureau is responsible for drawing up policies on food safety, environmental hygiene, animal health and welfare, agriculture and fisheries, and for allocating resources to execute these policies. It works closely with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Government Laboratory.
The FEHD ensures food sold in Hong Kong is safe and fit for consumption and that a clean and hygienic living environment is maintained for the people of Hong Kong.
The AFCD implements policies supporting the agricultural and fisheries industries and provides farmers and fishermen with infrastructural and technical support. The department also administers loans to them and advises the government on animal health and welfare matters.
The Government Laboratory provides testing services to support the regular food surveillance programme of the FEHD's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and helps the centre handle food incidents.
Licensing of Food Premises and Other Trades
The FEHD is the licensing authority for food businesses. It issues various food business licences; permits for the sale of restricted foods, including Chinese herb tea, milk, frozen confections, sushi and sashimi; permits for karaoke establishments; and licences for places of public entertainment, such as theatres, cinemas and entertainment machine centres. The department also licenses private swimming pools, commercial bathhouses, funeral parlours, undertakers of burials and factories engaged in offensive trades. It provides executive and secretarial support
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