ENG-1954 — Page 159

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

Food Inspection

More than 4,400 premises licensed for the prepara- tion or sale of food are inspected regularly and when possible advice on personal and food hygiene is given. To improve the conditions under which food is sold from cooked food stalls and to reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases, the Council approved a competition held between the licensed stalls in the various districts of the urban district. Points were awarded for various aspects of cleanliness and based upon periodical inspec- tions by the health staff. The stallholders of the various districts joined in enthusiastically and the standard of cleanliness was encouragingly high.

Seven new retail markets, containing 2,103 stalls, some of them sited in resettlement areas, were con- structed during the year.

The retailing of fresh meat, fresh fish and poultry is restricted to public markets or food shops under special licence. Only fresh meat from animals slaugh- tered in Government abattoirs may be sold in markets and food shops but imported meat may be sold under special permit. Swine, cattle, sheep and goats were slaughtered in the abattoirs and marketed during the year and the market retail prices of meat fluctuated between $3.40 to $4.80 for pork and $3.60 to $6.50 for beef per catty.

Pest Control

New work in pest control included field trials on the use of repellents and insecticides for the control of biting midges (Lasiohelea stimulans) and attempts to

120