ENG-2017 — Page 212

Chapter 10

Food Safety,

Environmental

Hygiene,

Agriculture and Fisheries

With more than 90 per cent of its food imported, Hong Kong devotes considerable efforts to ensuring the safety of the wide variety of food available for sale. The government's policy is

to maintain a clean and hygienic living environment and to protect the public from threats of zoonotic disease.

The Food and Health Bureau draws up policies on food safety, environmental hygiene, animal health and welfare, agriculture and fisheries, and allocates resources to execute these policies. It works closely with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and Government Laboratory.

The FEHD ensures food sold in Hong Kong is safe and fit for consumption and that a clean and hygienic living environment is maintained for the people of Hong Kong.

The AFCD implements policies supporting the agricultural and fisheries industries, provides farmers and fishermen with infrastructural and technical support, and administers loans and funding schemes to support the industries' sustainable development. The department also oversees quarantine and animal welfare matters.

The Government Laboratory provides testing services to support the regular food surveillance programme of the FEHD's Centre for Food Safety and help the centre handle food incidents.

Licensing of Food Premises and Other Trades

The FEHD is the licensing authority for food businesses. It issues various food business licences; permits for the sale of restricted foods, including Chinese herb tea, milk, frozen confections, sushi and sashimi; permits for karaoke establishments; and licences for places of public entertainment, such as theatres, cinemas and entertainment machine centres. The department also licenses private swimming pools, commercial bathhouses, funeral parlours, undertakers of burials and factories engaged in offensive trades. It provides executive and secretarial support to the Liquor Licensing Board, an independent statutory body that issues liquor licences, including those for clubs.

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