ENG-1983 — Page 147

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Controls

HEALTH

In maintaining and improving standards of hygiene through the enforcement of the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation, health inspectors regularly inspect licenced premises, residential and commercial buildings, and construction and vacant sites. Special inspections are also carried out to deal with complaints of vermin infestation and unhygienic conditions. The health inspectors work closely with the staff of the Medical and Health Department in the investigation and control of food poisoning outbreaks and infectious diseases.

The central licensing section is responsible for dealing with applications for licences other than hawker licences. These are issued under the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance and the Dutiable Commodities (Liquor) Regulations.

The food section of the Urban Services Department continued its two-pronged activities during the year to ensure that food and food products for sale, whether imported or locally produced, were hygienic and safe for human consumption. The enactment of the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations 1983 and the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations 1983 added impetus to the law enforcement activities which included regular monitoring of standards of food hygiene and safety, and systematic inspection and sampling of food products for laboratory examination. For research and development, the section continued its functions through liaison with the World Health Organisation and other bodies to keep Hong Kong abreast of international developments in food science and toxicological evaluation to benefit and protect local food traders and consumers.

District and regional pest control teams carried out integrated programmes to prevent and control rodents, mosquitoes, flies and other public health pests. Measures taken included environmental improvements, public health education campaigns, the destruction of breeding places, the use of pesticides and law enforcement.

In 1983, the health education section organised a number of educational campaigns on environmental and food hygiene. A highlight of the food hygiene campaign was the '1983 Restaurants of the Year - Urban Council Hygiene Competition' introduced in the summer. Competitions were held in schools to promote public health, and basic health education was given to new immigrants from China and to Filipina maids through mobile broadcasts. In addition, courses, seminars, talks and film shows on various topics of public health were organised for food services personnel, school children, voluntary welfare agencies, mutual aid committee members and Vietnamese refugees.

Markets

In the urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, the Urban Council runs 53 public retail markets with more than 7 400 stalls. They sell a whole range of fresh foodstuffs such as meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit, as well as various types of general merchandise such as clothing, household goods and other daily necessities. The commodities available in public markets have diversified over the years as increasing numbers of former on-street hawkers have been accommodated in new market buildings. A cooked-food centre is now a standard facility in modern market complexes.

Many existing public markets are still in old buildings and it is the policy of the council to redevelop these markets into modern multi-purpose market complexes with other facilities such as games halls, rest gardens, libraries and auditoria for the performing arts. During 1983, six new markets were completed providing 1 116 new stalls at Tung Yuen Street in Yau Tong, Kwun Tong Ferry Concourse, Reclamation Street, Kowloon City, Fat Kwong