Food waste recycling shows growth
Since 2023, 453 smart recycling bins have been installed throughout 115 private housing estates under the Pilot Scheme on Food Waste Smart Recycling Bins in Private Housing Estates, resulting in significant growth in domestic food waste recycling. Participating estates have collectively recycled over 7 300 tonnes of food waste. To broaden the reach of the trial, the Government lowered the scheme's eligibility threshold last year to include more small and medium-size private housing estates.
News.gov.hk discovered how residents from one participating estate are embracing the smart recycling bin initiative, while a representative of the Environmental Protection Department discussed the scheme's encouraging results.
The story is available at www.news.gov.hk/eng/feature from today (April 5) in text and video format.
Photo source: news.gov.hk
CFS finds trace amount of Enterococci in samples of individual batches of bottled mineral water
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 28) that two samples of bottled mineral water were found to contain trace amount of Enterococci. The CFS is following up on the incident.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "Under its routine Food Surveillance Programme, the CFS collected bottled mineral water samples at retail level for microbiological testing, including tests for Escherichia coli, Coliform bacteria, Enterococci, Spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The test results showed that two samples of the individual batches of bottled mineral water below contained Enterococci at a level of one Colony Forming Unit in 250 millilitres, while all other tested parameters (Escherichia coli, coliform bacteria, Spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were satisfactory (i.e. not detected).
According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, Enterococci shall not be tested presence in bottled natural mineral water. As a precautionary measure, the CFS has informed the retailers/distributors concerned to stop sales and remove from shelves the affected batches of the products below. The distributors concerned have also initiated voluntary recalls of the affected batches of the products concerned. Members of the public may call the respective hotlines below during office hours for enquiries about the recalls.
Product details are as follows:
Product name: Still Scottish Mountain Water
Brand: Marks & Spencer
Volume: 750ml
Best-before date: December 2026
Distributor: ALF Retail Hong Kong Limited
Hotline: 3656 2253
Product name: LOTTE ICIS Natural Mineral Water 8.0
Brand: Lotte
Volume: 2 litres
Best-before date: September 22, 2027
Distributor: Goldtop Century Ltd
Hotline: 2632 7373
Since January 2026, the CFS has collected 50 samples of bottled drinking water for testing. Apart from the two unsatisfactory samples mentioned above, all other samples passed the tests.
"Enterococci are a group of bacteria commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals, generally posing a low risk to healthy individuals. However, certain strains may cause infections in immunocompromised individuals. Members of the public should stop consuming the affected batches of the natural mineral water. Anyone who feels unwell after consuming the products, such as experiencing symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or fever etc, should seek medical treatment," a spokesman for the CFS said.
The CFS had alert the trade, and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.
Source: AI-found images
