FEHD strives to ensure food safety of school lunch boxes
To enhance food safety and hygiene awareness among licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes, and to prepare for the new school year, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) and the Environmental Hygiene Branch of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) launched a series of operations to inspect licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes in various districts of Hong Kong with a view to ensuring food safety.
A spokesman for the FEHD said today (August 2), "Starting from July 31 to the end of August, the FEHD will inspect food factories supplying school lunch boxes to ensure that the licensing conditions in respect of food handling and processing are observed by the operators, and that hygienic standards stipulated in the laws are met. Food samples will be collected for testing. Meanwhile, the FEHD staff will also provide hygiene education to operators and staff of food factories, distributing food safety pamphlets to remind them of the proper way of handling school lunch boxes."
The CFS hosted an online trade meeting on July 11 to remind lunch box suppliers to adhere to good hygiene practices when preparing food and establish a food safety plan based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system to lower the risks of food contamination. Lunch box caterers can make use of the guideline "Developing a School Food Safety Plan Based on HACCP system (for School Lunch Box Caterers)" to learn more about how to enhance the safety of lunch box production.
Furthermore, to ensure food safety on campuses, the CFS arranged an online seminar for schools on July 5, highlighting food safety hazards such as choking and food allergies, and emphasising the need for vigilance among teaching staff and food handlers in schools. At the same time, schools are also reminded to order lunch boxes from suppliers that hold a valid Food Factory Licence issued by the FEHD and are endorsed to provide lunch boxes. Before signing contracts with suppliers, schools should visit the premises to ensure that food handlers observe food safety and hygiene practices.
The CFS has published "A Practical Guide for Ensuring Food Safety in Schools and Childcare Facilities", to which schools and childcare facilities can refer when choosing lunchbox suppliers and ensuring food safety on campus. For further details, please visit the "Safe Food at School" thematic webpage (cfs.gov.hk/school).
FEHD strives to ensure food safety of school lunch boxes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
FEHD strives to ensure food safety of school lunch boxes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Update on cases of Legionnaires' disease
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (September 16) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.
From September 8 to 14, the CHP recorded three community-acquired LD cases:
A female patient, aged 60 with underlying illnesses, who lives in Tai Po District;
A male patient, aged 66 with underlying illnesses, who lives in Shatin District; and
A male patient, aged 68 with good past health, who lives in Yau Tsim Mong District.
"Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any," a spokesman for the CHP said.
As of September 14, 81 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2023 and 2022, there were 121 and 80 cases respectively.
"Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels," the spokesman said.
Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus that support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.
Immunocompromised persons should:
Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices; and
If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily.
The public should observe the health advice below:
Observe personal hygiene;
Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
Seek and follow doctors' professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes:
Wear gloves and a face mask;
Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.
The public may visit the CHP'sLD page, theCode of Practice for Prevention of LDand theHousekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Managementof the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP'srisk-based strategyfor prevention and control of LD.
Source: AI-generated images
