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ˇ@ˇ@The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 5) smashed an unlicensed food factory in Yuen Long.
ˇ@ˇ@FEHD officers raided a hut in Tai Tao Tsuen, Yuen Long, after finding illegal food businesses in operation.
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ˇ@ˇ@ˇ§The operator of the unlicensed food factory was arrested and will be charged with operating food factory business without a licence.
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ˇ§All food in the hut was removed for disposal and the paraphernalia seizedˇ¨, an FEHD spokesman said.
Following a number of typhoid cases reported in Yuen Long, the FEHD had recently stepped up raids against illegal cooked food hawkers in the area.
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ˇ@ˇ@"The unlicensed food factory smashed in todayˇ¦s operation is believed to be supplying sweet soup to illegal hawkers in Tin Shui Wai, " the spokesman said.
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ˇ@ˇ@He said stringent enforcement action would continue to be taken against unlicensed food businesses to safeguard food safety and public health.
ˇ@ˇ@"Anyone with information on unlicensed food business should immediately call the department's hotline at 2868 0000," he said.
ˇ@ˇ@According to the Food Business Regulation, the maximum penalty for operating an unlicensed food factory is a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment, plus a daily fine of $900.
Ends/Thursday, January 5, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:40
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