XN000022-1996-06-24 — Page 5

- 4-

Food hygiene campaign launched

The Department of Health and the Urban and Regional Councils today (Monday) launched a territory-wide campaign on food hygiene for people in the food business.

The campaign, entitled "Know more about food legislation for better food business management", will also include activities designed for primary and secondary school teachers and the general public.

The two-month-long campaign will comprise of 24 seminars. More than 4,000 staff of licensed food premises, cooked food stalls, canteens and other food eating establishments have enrolled to take part in these seminars to be held at various districts.

Assistant Director of Health, Dr Leung Pak-yin, took the opportunity to remind members of the public to observe good personal and environmental hygiene in the -prevention of gastro-intestinal infections.

"Precautionary measures against food-borne disease are especially important with the approach of the summer season," he stressed.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the campaign, the Vice-Chairman of the Urban Council Public Health Select Committee, Mr Wong Kwok-hing, pointed out that every year there were more than a thousand food-borne diseases and food poisoning cases occurred in Hong Kong which, he believed, could be avoided.

He said: "To prevent the occurrence of these cases, we should have a better understanding on the causes and ways of food contamination."

"In addition, precautionary measures should be taken to reduce the chance of contamination during the course of manufacturing."

Noting that major food poisoning outbreak could lead to financial loss of food traders, Mr Wong said the most effective way to build up consumer's confidence was to adopt good personal, environmental and food hygiene.

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Regional Council Ad Hoc Committee on Food Surveillance of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee, Mr Leung Che-cheung, said there were a number of food-related ordinances in Hong Kong to protect the consumers.