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¡@ The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (August 4) obtained from the court a closure order against a food premises in Kwai Chung which has been continuously operating without a licence.
¡@The food premises is located at shop No 8 on the ground floor of Cheong Hung Mansion at No 24-28 Shun Fong Street, No 91-95 Wing Fong Road and No 2-14 Mei Fong Street in Kwai Chung. Its general restaurant licence was cancelled due to repeated convictions of illegal extension of business area. As the food premises continued to operate after the cancellation of licence, the FEHD has stepped up inspections and prosecution actions against the premises. The FEHD also applied in May for a court order to close the premises. Its operators have been arrested and prosecuted for operating an unlicensed food business on 19 occasions since this January. A total of six convictions for the breach were recorded against the food establishment, resulting in a total fine of $9,500. The remaining cases are still pending hearings.
¡@A spokesman for the FEHD said, "Given the fact that the food premises persistently breached the Food Business Regulation by operating without a licence, the FEHD applied to the court for a closure order under section 128B of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance. Upon affixing a copy of the closure order at a conspicuous place on the premises earlier today, it will come into force at the beginning of the eighth day (August 12) in accordance with the law. The department will continue to take stringent enforcement actions against unlicensed food premises to safeguard food safety and public health."
¡@ According to the Food Business Regulation, anyone operating an unlicensed food business commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000, imprisonment for six months and a daily fine of $900.
¡@ A list of licensed food premises is available on the FEHD's website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/licence-type.html), the spokesman said. Licensed food premises are also required to display their licences and a sign indicating that the premises are licensed at a conspicuous place on the premises. With these measures in place, members of the public will be able to tell whether a food establishment is licensed or not. People can report any unlicensed food premises through 1823.
Ends/Monday, August 4, 2014
Issued at HKT 22:00
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