HKSAR Search and Rescue Team and Inter-departmental Preparation Team for Kai Tak Sports Park Commissioning both awarded Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government announced today (June 24) that the HKSAR Search and Rescue Team to quake-stricken areas in Myanmar in March 2025 and the Inter-departmental Preparation Team for Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) Commissioning were awarded a new round of the Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, congratulated the two award-winning teams andexpressed pride in their performance and contributions. He said, "The two award-winning teams reflected the outstanding competence of the civil service of the HKSAR and the efficiency of the Government, and exemplified Hong Kong's second-place global ranking in the 'Government efficiency' factor of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025. All these have confirmed and reinforced my belief in driving result-oriented policies for the Government."
Congratulating the two award-winning civil service teams, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "The HKSAR Search and Rescue Team has demonstrated fearless professionalism and humanitarian care, while the Preparation Team for KTSP Commissioning has displayed efficient collaboration and precise planning of the civil servants. The two teams comprised outstanding civil servants across different departments and grades, who overcame numerous challenges and accomplished their tasks with utmost professionalism. I hope that this honour will inspire more colleagues to forge ahead and continue to serve the community with dedication."
In March this year, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, resulting in serious casualties. The HKSAR Government quickly formed an interdepartmental search and rescue team. Civil servants from the Security Bureau, the Fire Services Department and the Immigration Department, together with medical representatives from the Hospital Authority, and bringing along two search and rescue dogs and rescue equipment of about 9 tonnes, rushed to Mantalay, one of the most devastated areas in Myanmar, to conduct search and rescue operations.
With professional training, fearlessness and perseverance, the HKSAR Search and Rescue Team completed 61 search and rescue operations covering 57 locations amid the constant aftershocks and scorching heat in the disaster-stricken areas. The team conducted joint operations with the China Search and Rescue Team and successfully rescued one survivor who had been trapped for more than 125 hours. In addition, the HKSAR Search and Rescue Team found two bodies under the debris. This is the second international rescue work the HKSAR Search and Rescue Team participated in since the earthquake in Türkiye in 2023, and the team has further upgraded its search and rescue techniques and equipment, including the application of AI and various advanced technologies, which help rescue personnel formulate more effective operational strategies.
The KTSP is the largest sports infrastructure project ever commissioned in Hong Kong and was officially opened on March 1 this year. To ensure the smooth operation of the KTSP upon its commissioning, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau, the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Transport Department had formed an interdepartmental preparation team to carry out the large-scale preparatory work in a concerted manner.
In the face of multiple challenges such as the pressing schedule, the large scale of the project and complicated co-ordination work, the Preparation Team, with its innovative thinking, meticulous planning and interdepartmental collaborations, completed around 20 test events, including five large-scale drills, in just five months, mobilising 140 000 civil servants to participate in the stress tests to evaluate the capability of the KTSP and its surrounding facilities comprehensively. Through continuous stress tests and optimisation of detailed arrangements, thorough preparation was made for the commissioning of the KTSP.
Details of the Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance Presentation Ceremony will be announced later.
The current-term Government launched the Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance Scheme in 2023 to give recognition to meritorious and exemplary teams or individuals in the civil service, with a view to encouraging civil servants to continuously strive for excellence. It also aims to allow the public to have a better understanding of the Government's work and the excellence of the civil service.
The nomination exercise for the new round of the Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance commenced in May this year. The Civil Service Bureau invited bureaux to nominate outstanding teams or colleagues for the honour. The response was very positive, and bureaux actively nominated outstanding teams in recognition of their outstanding performance in different areas.
The selection process was rigorous. After being made by the respective Directors of Bureaux, the nominations were each considered by a high-level selection committee of the Government, which then put forward its recommendations to the Chief Executive. After considering the committee's recommendations, the Chief Executive made his decision on the teams or individuals to be awarded.
CFS to follow up certain batches of powdered infant and young children formula with possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 10) said that, it took initiative to meet with Nestlé Hong Kong again today, and confirmed the company's today announcement of an additional batch of powdered infant and young children formula suspected to have possibly used the raw material concerned. Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall. The CFS has collected samples of powdered infant and young children formula from the market for Bacillus cereus testing, the test results so far were satisfactory. The Environmental and Ecology Bureau is also closely monitoring the supply situation of other formula milk powder and maintaining communication with other major suppliers. It is noted that there is sufficient formula milk powder to meet the demand.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), Photo source: reference image
The spokesman said, the CFS has been actively following up on Nestlé company's voluntary and precautionary recalls of certain batches of its powdered infant and young children formula in certain areas in Europe due to possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus in the individual raw material. According to the latest information from Nestlé Hong Kong today, an additional batch of its powdered infant and young children formula imported into Hong Kong might have used the raw material concerned. The CFS had earlier enhanced surveillance in the market and collected a sample from the above batch for testing of Bacillus cereus. The test result of the sample was satisfactory. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall.
Product details are as follows:
Product name (Net weight): NAN PRO 1 2 HMO (800g)
Batch number: 51670742F2
Best-before date: June 16, 2027
Place of Origin: Germany
"The CFS met Nestlé Hong Kong again today, urging them to properly handle the product recall issue and respond to public enquiries, in order to safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests. In addition, the CFS and Nestlé Hong Kong have jointly followed up, six suspected affected batches of infant and young children formula products that had not entered the market were marked and sealed. An additional 15 batches are currently en route to Hong Kong and will also be marked and sealed upon arrival. The CFS will continue to closely monitor the recall matters and remain fully committed to ensuring food safety, " the spokesman said.
Nestlé Hong Kong has initiated a recall of the affected batches of the products concerned. For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may contact the company through the following channels:
Consumer services hotline: 2599 8874 / 2797 6031/ 2179 8136 (Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm)
Email: consumerservices@hk.nestle.com
WhatsApp: 5283 4139 (NESTLÉ® NAN®) / 2599 8871 (Wyeth® Nutrition)
Online form: forms.office.com/e/BhqMhWfsUG?origin=lprLink
Consumers may choose to bring along the products (brand new or opened) for refund at place of purchase, or at exclusive service counters of Nestlé Nutrition Services from January 13 (Tuesday) onwards, to settle the recall and refund of the batches of the products concerned. Details of the exclusive service counters are as follows:
Kowloon Services Counter
Address: G/F, Park Hovan Commercial Building, 18 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (MTR Jordon Station Exit D)
Contact number: 3996 8196
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm; Sunday, 1pm to 5.30pm (except public holidays)
Hong Kong Services Counter
Address: 1/F, Ka Nin Wah Commercial Building, 423-425 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong (MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B)
Contact number: 3996 8197
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm (except Sundays and public holidays)
The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted earlier that certain batches of Nestlé powdered infant formula were being voluntarily recalled in Europe due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS has immediately initiated follow up actions, published food incident posts to inform the public and the trade about the issue, and has been actively following up on the incident and enhanced surveillance.
Over the past three days (as of 4pm on January 9), the FEHD received a total of 18 food complaints and enquiries suspected to be related to the infant and young children formula products, including one anonymous complaint without contact information. The CFS and the Environmental Hygiene Branch have promptly followed up on all cases, including contacting the parties concerned to obtain details and collecting samples for testing. In addition, the CFS has referred the cases to the health department for follow-up. At present, no food poisoning cases related to the formula have been recorded.
Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced in food by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
The spokesman urged members of the public not to let infants and young children consume the affected batches of the products, and to seek medical treatment for infants or young children who felt unwell after taking the products concerned. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batches of the products immediately.
"The CFS continues to closely monitor the developments of the situation, follow up and take appropriate action," the spokesman said.
The infant formula of Nestlé, Photo source: online image
