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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 important safeguards for a city that imports 95 per cent of its foodstuffs. Environmental hygiene is also maintained strictly to protect public health and improve living quality.

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 sold in Hong Kong is safe for human 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 their condition. For main thoroughfares, flyovers and high-speed roads, mechanised cleansing is provided. In 2010, about 75 per cent of street cleansing services were outsourced. The FEHD and its contractors provide regular washing and flushing services for heavily used pavements, hawker blackspots and market areas.