Hong Kong Enhances Food Safety Inspections for School Lunch Box Suppliers Ahead of New School Year

FEHD strives to ensure food safety of school lunch boxes

To prepare for the new school year, and to enhance food safety and hygiene awareness among licensed food factories supplying school lunch boxes, 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 19), "The FEHD has enhanced inspections of 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 are continuously collected for testing. Meanwhile, FEHD staff will also provide health 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 9 to remind lunch box suppliers to adhere to good hygiene practices and establish a food safety plan based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system. Suppliers may refer to the relevant guidelines for more safety information on lunch box production. Furthermore, to ensure food safety on campuses, the CFS arranged an online seminar for schools on July 29, highlighting food safety hazards such as choking and food allergies, and advising schools to choose lunch box suppliers that hold a valid Food Factory Licence issued by the FEHD and are endorsed to provide lunch boxes. Before placing orders, 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.

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

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming Vietnamese male passenger was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (August 19) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted an incoming Vietnamese male passenger, aged 35, at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (August 18) and seized 6 200 duty-not-paid cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $31,000 and a duty potential of about $20,500, from his personal baggage. The passenger was subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.

Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account(crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases