Food Safety Day 2026 highlights importance of hand hygiene for safeguarding food safety and public health
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department kicked off its Food Safety Day 2026 promotional campaign today (June 7). With "handwashing" as the core theme, a series of thematic short videos, social media posts, and posters, will be launched to highlight the importance of maintaining hand hygiene in preventing foodborne diseases, and to echo World Food Safety Day of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
Maintaining proper hand hygiene remains one of the most effective measures for preventing foodborne diseases and safeguarding food safety. Unclean hands of food handlers may transfer harmful microorganisms, including foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, from bacterial carriers or raw food to utensils, surfaces and ready-to-eat food.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "Food handlers should wash their hands thoroughly with liquid soap and water, as alcohol hand sanitisers work less effectively at removing grease, dirt and certain foodborne microorganisms. When washing hands, the rubbing process should last for at least 20 seconds. To prevent the spread of preventable infectious diseases, handwashing should be carried out before and after handling food, before putting on gloves and after removing them."
The spokesman also reminded food handlers to wash their hands whenever possibly contaminated, such as after touching the face, coughing, sneezing, using the toilet, smoking, and handling money, waste, mobile phones, chemicals or raw food ingredients, as well as after completing cleaning tasks.
Members of the public are also reminded that wearing gloves cannot replace proper handwashing. Food handlers and the public should maintain good personal hygiene practices and adopt appropriate hygiene measures when preparing food, thereby reducing the risk of foodborne diseases and curbing the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.
For more information about Food Safety Day 2026, please visit the CFS website at www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_act/Food_Safety_Day_2026.html.
Photo source: he CFS website
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment) attends Environment Day cum Recycling Day Launching Ceremony
The Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment), Mr Eddie Cheung, today (June 7) officiated at the Environment Day cum Recycling Day Launching Ceremony. Officiating guests included the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Mr Ye Shuiqiu; the Level II Bureau Rank Official of Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province, Mr Wu Shuangxi; the Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Mr Ip Kuong-lam; and the Director of Environmental Protection, Dr Samuel Chui.
To echo the National Event on the Environment Day 2026 and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the EPD launched the Beautiful Hong Kong Green Fest starting from June 1 and organised the annual event Recycling Day, with a view to encouraging public participation in waste reduction at source and waste separation and recycling.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Cheung said that the current-term Government is implementing environmental protection policies in full steam, striving to achieve carbon neutrality, protecting biodiversity, and making Hong Kong a demonstration base for green technologies and a low-carbon and liveable city. On waste reduction and recycling, Hong Kong has already made substantial progress. The municipal solid waste disposal quantity has declined for four consecutive years since 2021, while the recycling rate continues to rise. He sincerely invites members of the public to actively participate in the Recycling Day activities, integrate waste reduction and recycling into daily lives, and work together towards the vision of "Zero Landfill".
The Recycling Day activities include the Environment Day cum Recycling Day Carnival held today, promotional activities at 12 GREEN@COMMUNITY Recycling Stations over the territory and in collaboration with over 200 Recycling Day co-operative partners in June, as well as a creative short film competition. The EPD also offered the Environment Day 2X GREEN$ Rewards from June 5 to today, where members of the public can earn double GREEN$ points when they recycle at the GREEN@COMMUNITY community recycling network. For details, please visit www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en-hk/RecyclingDay2026.
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment) attends Environment Day cum Recycling Day Launching Ceremony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment) attends Environment Day cum Recycling Day Launching Ceremony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment) attends Environment Day cum Recycling Day Launching Ceremony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment) attends Environment Day cum Recycling Day Launching Ceremony Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
