ENG-2008 — Page 227

Chapter 9

Food Safety, Environmental

Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

Hong Kong has in place a broad range of tools, facilities and strict rules to ensure that food consumed in the city is safe. The safeguards are vital because Hong Kong imports 95 per cent of its foodstuffs. Environmental hygiene is also a round-the- clock watch to protect public health and to raise living standards.

Organisational Framework

The Food and Health Bureau is responsible for drawing up policies on food safety, environmental hygiene, animal health, and matters concerning agriculture and fisheries in Hong Kong. It also allocates resources for carrying out these policies.

In the areas of food safety and environmental hygiene, the bureau works closely with two departments: the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD).

The FEHD is tasked with ensuring that food in Hong Kong is safe for consumption and that environmental hygiene standards are high.

The AFCD is responsible for implementing policies governing the agricultural and fisheries industries and for helping them to stay competitive by providing them with infrastructural and technical support such as market facilities and animal disease diagnostic services. The department also administers loans to them and advises the Government on animal health matters.

Public Cleansing Services

The FEHD provides services for street cleansing, household waste collection and public toilets. All streets are swept between one and eight times a day, depending on practical needs. For main thoroughfares, flyovers and high-speed roads, mechanised cleansing is provided. In 2008, about 67 per cent of street cleansing services were outsourced. The FEHD and its contractors together maintained a fleet of 108 street washing vehicles to wash streets and flush heavily used pavements, hawker black spots and market areas.

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