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Operators of all food premises, public market stalls and cooked food centres/cooked food hawker bazaars are required to keep their premises clean and hygienic at all times.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (May 29) started sending letters to all these operators informing them that the department would step up enforcement actions against unhygienic conditions in their premises.
"Advisory letters are being sent to all the 18,000 odd food premises in the territory, including restaurants, factory canteens, food factories and siu mei/lo mei shops," said a spokesman for the FEHD.
"In the letter, the operators are advised to pay particular attention to certain problem areas. They include:
* Dirty surroundings;
* Scullery and food preparation in public places including pavement and side/rear lanes;
* Open display of cooked food;
* Pest infestation;
* Dirty toilets.
"Together with the letter, the operators will also receive guidelines on food premises hygiene to help them upkeep the hygiene standard of their premises," he noted.
In order to protect public health, the spokesman reiterated that all operators of food premises were strongly advised to maintain their premises clean and hygienic, in particular the toilets.
"In the wake of the recent outbreak of SARS, we have to remind the trade of the importance to strictly comply with requirements relating to food safety and hygienic operation of food business.
"Staff of food premises must refrain from carrying out scullery/food preparation in public places or discharging waste water/food remnants into surface gutters or channels in public places, including rear lanes and pavements.
"They should also properly protect cooked food from the risk of contamination and also take due measures to prevent pest infestation inside their premises," the spokesman stressed.
"The department will mount large-scale enforcement actions from next Thursday (June 5) onwards to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation and licensing conditions.
"In addition to the day-to-day inspection and enforcement actions, FEHD staff will conduct blitz operations to licensed food premises and take out prosecution against those in breach of the law," he warned.
Meanwhile, the department also sent advisory letters today to all operators of its market stalls and cooked food centres/cooked food hawker bazaars.
"The move is aimed at enhancing the cleanliness and tidiness of our markets and cooked food centres/bazaars," said the spokesman.
"We will strengthen enforcement actions against these premises, paying particular attention to dirty stalls, open display of cooked food and obstruction.
"The operators will also receive food hygiene codes of practice covering poultry stalls, fresh meat stalls, frozen meat stalls, fish stalls, siu mei/lo mei stalls, cooked food stalls and cooked food hawker bazaars.
"Apart from stepped up enforecement in our daily patrol, our staff will also carry out blitz operations there regularly from June 5 onwards," the spokesman said.
End/Thursday, May 29, 2003
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