ENG-2016 — Page 208

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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

The centre works closely with the committee to implement a series of projects. These include plans to continue promoting reduced salt and sugar at preschools and schools, to continue implementing a calorie indication pilot scheme at the staff canteens of public hospitals, and to organise a slogan-cum-label design competition for a voluntary front-of-pack low-salt/low- sugar labelling scheme for pre-packaged food, which will help consumers identify low-salt, low- sugar products easily.

In 2016, the FEHD's Health Education Exhibition and Resource Centre in Kowloon Park organised 2,386 health talks for the public and target groups, including students and the elderly.

A mobile education centre disseminates food safety and environmental hygiene messages across the territory.

The CFS' Communication Resource Unit in Mong Kok organises food safety programmes and provides technical support to people in the food trade and the public. Fourteen food trade associations and 915 food premises and retail outlets subscribe to the centre's Food Safety Charter, which promotes best practices in handling food. During the year, the centre also conducted 186 health talks on food safety and deployed two vans to broadcast food safety messages in housing estates and markets.

Measures against Avian Influenza

Government measures to keep avian influenza (Al) at bay include stringent monitoring of the poultry supply chain from farm to retail levels, vaccination of chickens against H5 Al and close surveillance of imported and local birds.

Under an agreement with the Mainland, all poultry, except pigeons, imported from registered farms must be vaccinated against H5 Ai, commonly known as bird flu. Every live poultry consignment bound for Hong Kong must be tested negative for H5 and H7 Al before being released for sale. Government veterinarians also inspect registered farms on the Mainland to ensure their compliance with the bio-security requirements.

Hong Kong prohibits the keeping of chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, quails and other poultry in backyards. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000. Owners of racing pigeons are required to hold exhibition licences. Pet bird traders are required to submit official animal health certificates to the health authorities, or documents such as invoices showing the places of origin of their birds, or the names and addresses of their suppliers. The sale of birds from unknown sources is prohibited. Bird traders must keep up-to-date records of their transactions and the number of birds in their possession.

All live poultry in public market stalls and fresh provision shops must be slaughtered by 8pm every day. Live poultry are not allowed in these premises between 8pm and 5am. Live poultry retailers must ensure people working at retail outlets wear protective clothing and must report any dead poultry immediately to the FEHD. They must not overstock live poultry on their premises and must affix acrylic panels to their poultry cages to prevent direct contact between customers and the poultry.

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