CFS announces food safety report for May
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 30) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 6 400 food samples tested (including food items purchased online) were found to be satisfactory except for six unsatisfactory samples that were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.
A CFS spokesman said that about 2 000 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, and about 4 400 samples were taken for chemical and radiation level tests.
The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygiene indicators; the chemical tests included testing for pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others; and the radiation-level tests included testing for radioactive caesium and iodine in samples collected from imported food from different regions.
The samples comprised about 1 600 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; about 500 samples of cereals, grains and their products; about 600 samples of meat and poultry and their products; about 1 300 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; about 900 samples of aquatic and related products; and about 1 500 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).
The six unsatisfactory samples comprised two mushroom samples and a prepackaged dried lily bulb sample detected with metallic contaminants exceeding the legal limit, a white radish sample and a melon sample detected with pesticide residues at levels exceeding the legal limit, and a pig ear sample found to contain Salmonella.
The CFS has taken follow-up actions on the above-mentioned unsatisfactory samples, including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items, and tracing the sources of the food items in question.
The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.
Separately, in response to the Japanese Government's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the CFS will continue enhancing the testing on imported Japanese food, and make reference to the risk assessment results to adjust relevant surveillance work in a timely manner. The CFS will announce every working day on its dedicated webpage (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/daily_japan_nuclear_incidents.html) the radiological test results of the samples of food imported from Japan, with a view to enabling the trade and members of the public to have a better grasp of the latest safety information.
HA to consult District Councils about clearance and rehousing arrangements for redevelopment of Sai Wan Estate and Phase 1 of Ma Tau Wai Estate
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (December 30) thatit will respectively consult the Central and Western District Council and the Kowloon City District Council next month about the clearance and rehousing arrangements for the redevelopment of Sai Wan Estate (SWE) and Phase 1 of Ma Tau Wai Estate (MTWE).
"The HA conducts assessments on aged public rental housing (PRH) estates from time to time in order to ensure the buildings are in a safe condition and suitable for accommodating residents. The actual circumstances will also be considered in a prudent manner when deciding whether to redevelop a PRH estate," a spokesman for the HA said.
The HA has reserved adequate rehousing resources for the affected tenants for the clearance and rehousing proposals of the two aforementioned PRH estates. The proposed clearance and rehousing of SWE can be carried out under a single phase in 2029 so that all affected tenants will be rehoused to Phase 1 of the Ka Wai Man Road public housing development (Annex I) nearby in one go. With the thoughtful arrangements by the project team, this proposal will allow all affected tenants to move into the new estate together with their neighbours, maintaining warm neighbourhood relationships and continuing the sense of community. There are currently 636 flats in SWE. It is expected that the number of flats will increase by 460 to about 1 100 flats after the redevelopment to cater for more residents in need.
As for the MTWE redevelopment, in consideration of the unanimous views of the residents and the community that the clearance and rehousing arrangement should be expedited, the HA proposes using part of the new Mei Tung Estate public housing development as additional rehousing resources on top of the reception estate at To Kwa Wan Road public housing development so that the phases of redevelopment can be reduced from three to two, thereby significantly shortening the rehousing period for all MTWE residents from 14 years to seven years. The clearance in Phase 1 will cover Geranium House and Narcissus House and the rehousing of the affected tenants is anticipated to commence in 2028. The clearance and rehousing for Phase 2 will be announced in due course (Annex II). After the redevelopment of the entire estate, the number of flats in MTWE is expected to increase from more than 2 000 to about 4 000 flats, providing over 2 000 additional units for residents in need.
In addition, the HA also proposes offering domestic tenants affected by the clearance a domestic removal allowance to help meet part of their moving expenses. Eligible one-person and two-person households, regardless of age, may also opt to receive a cash allowance in lieu of rehousing to a PRH unit as an alternative option to suit their needs. For example, elderly persons may move into residential care homes for the elderly, settle in the Chinese Mainland, or live with their children, etc. Furthermore, the HA also proposes to accord priority to affected tenants of HA's announced clearance projects who would like to purchase subsidised sale flats (SSFs) in lieu of PRH in flat selection over other applicants in the SSFs sale exercise(s) launched before the target clearance date.
The HA will establish an on-site Community Service Team in SWE and MTWE to help maintain effective communication with the affected households, especially the elderly, to provide help and fully assist them in vacating their existing flats and adapting to their new living environment throughout the project.
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA), Photo source: reference image
