HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
17
This is a habit hard to be changed. Now that our citizens are at the height of their alertness, it must be the right time to take measures to improve food hygiene. This Council together with relevant departments should take advantage of the timing to change the community's bad habits in respect of food hygiene and further improve our standards of food hygiene.
To avoid the recurrence of another E-coli O-157 H7 case, I think we need to do more than requiring abattoirs to comply with hygiene standards. We should put in place more preventive measures and step up inspections and prosecutions. The important thing is to address the root of the problem. We should start with education and publicity. Only with such long-term work in implementing basic remedies can we rehaul the community's concept and practice in food handling hygiene.
I made a proposal at the meeting of the Public Health Select Committee on 2 April. On the publicity side, I hope the Department can produce food hygiene guidelines in the form of simple, illustrative sketches so that traders can easily comprehend. As for educating the general public, the Department should consider running TV advertisements to enhance public knowledge of food hygiene. On training for the food industry, I believe courses should be run seriously for food handlers and processors. We should also consider including relevant clauses to licenses for food premises, requiring licence holders to attend basic hygiene courses specially designed for the trade and ensuring that both licensees and operators are adequately taught to comply with standards.
In short, the community's knowledge of and demand on food hygiene is changing. The authorities concerned should learn from experience overseas and meet changing needs. I have so spoken in support of the motion.
MR. DANIEL To Boon-man (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, Members have already spoken and given their opinions at different forums on this topic. We have come near the end of the matter. A lot of valuable ideas have been collected and put forth. Mr. WONG Kwok-hing and Mr. Chan Kwok-leung are two Members who have made a lot of contribution. It will not be easy for me to add. Nevertheless, I have collected some meaningful information for Members' reference. It will help the Department in engineering further improvements.
The spirit of the motion, though wordy, is in fact very simple. If we look closely, we can see that the words 'step up' appear four times in the Chinese version. They are 'step up improvements in supervision and law enforcement', 'step up hygiene inspection', 'step up food hygiene education' and 'step up improvement measures and report promptly to this Council'. By 'step up', Members are in fact asking the Department to do more. At this time when the public is particularly sensitive over the issue, Members should do more and the Department should do more to reassure the public. Therefore, I feel we should word 'step up' better. If we look at the ordinances on food hygiene, we
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
17
This is a habit hard to be changed. Now that our citizens are at the height of their alertness, it must be the right time to take measures to improve food hygiene. This Council together with relevant departments should take advantage of the timing to change the community's bad habits in respect of Food hygiene and further improve our standards of food hygiene.
To avoid the recurrence of another E-coli O-157 H7 case. I think we need to do more than requiring abattoirs to comply with hygiene standards. We should sput in place more preventive measures and step up inspections and prosecutions. The important thing is to address the root of the problem. We sshould start with education and publicity. Only with such long term work in iimplementing basic remedies can we rehaul the community's concept and Ipractice in food handling hygiene.
I made a proposal at the meeting of the Public Health Select Committee on 2 April. On the publicity side, I hope the Department can produce food hygiene guidelines in the form of simple, illustrative sketches so that traders can easily comprehend. As for educating the general public, the Department should consider running TV advertisements to enhance public knowledge of food Thygiene. On training for the food industry. I believe courses should be run !seriously for food handlers and processors. We should also consider including :relevant clauses to licenses for food premises, requiring licence holders to attend basic hygiene courses specially designed for the trade and ensuring that both licensees and operators are adequately taught to comply with standards.
In short, the community's knowledge of and demand on food hygiene is changing. The authorities concerned should learn from experience overseas and meet changing needs. I have so spoken in support of the motion.
MR. DANIEL To Boon-man (in Cantonese);--Mr. Chairman, Members have already spoken and given their opinions at different forums on this topic. We have come near the end of the matter. A lot of valuable ideas have been collected and put forth. Mr. WONG Kwok-hing and Mr. Chan Kwok-leung are two Members who have made a lot of contribution. It will not be easy for me to add. Nevertheless, I have collected some meaningful information for Members' reference. It will help the Department in engineering further improvements.
The spirit of the motion, though wordy, is in fact very simple. If we look closely, we can see that the words 'step up' appear four times in the Chinese version. They are 'step up improvements in supervision and law enforcement", 'step up hygiene inspection', 'step up food hygiene education' and 'step up improvement measures and report promptly to this Council'. By 'step up. Members are in fact asking the Department to do more. At this time when the public is particularly sensitive over the issue, Members should do more and the Department should do more to reassure the public. Therefore, I feel we should word 'step up' better. If we look at the ordinances on food hygiene, we
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