Following is a question by the Hon Steven Ho and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (September 25):
 
Question:
      
     It is learnt that due to the minor visual differences between freshly slaughtered chickens (commonly known as fresh chickens) and chilled chickens, coupled with the significant price difference and the fact that both can be sold at the same premises, some unscrupulous traders have been selling chilled chickens as fresh chickens. There are views that this not only causes food safety problems, but also deals a blow to the local chicken rearing industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the current distribution of licensed fresh provision shops and market stalls in various districts across the territory that are permitted to sell (i) fresh chickens, (ii) chilled chickens, or (iii) both;
 
(2) of the respective changes in the number of locations for slaughtering live chickens and retail outlets, and in the price of local live chickens, in various districts across the territory in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown by month;
 
(3) as some members of the industry have relayed that some traders mislead consumers by selling chilled or even frozen chickens removed from their packaging as fresh chickens, of the number of monthly inspections conducted by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) officers to combat such non-compliance, the staffing arrangements for these inspections, and the number of samples taken for testing; whether the FEHD has detected any cases of traders passing off non-fresh chickens as fresh for sale during inspections; if so, how these cases were detected by the authorities and what the respective testing methods were;
 
(4) as it is learnt that, unlike the restriction prohibiting the sale of fresh and chilled pork at the same premises, applications for licences to sell both fresh and chilled chickens at the same premises can currently be made, making it more difficult to prove and prosecute cases of passing off chilled chickens as fresh chickens, of (i) the number of reports on traders selling chilled chickens as fresh chickens received, (ii) the respective numbers of prosecutions instituted against operators for breaching the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X) and the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Cap. 362), by the FEHD in each of the past five years, and the punishments imposed on those convicted; and (iii) the legislative considerations at the time allowing the sale of both fresh and chilled chickens at the same premises, as well as the reasons for the difference in the sales arrangements for fresh chickens and fresh pork; and
 
(5) whether, in the long run, the authorities will adopt a multi-pronged approach to address the relevant issues, such as conducting decoy operations, increasing the number of retail outlets for fresh chickens, and mandating separation zoning for the sale of fresh and chilled chickens, so as to facilitate consumer identification and enhance the effectiveness of the FEHD in regulating the sale of fresh chickens?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has long been committed to combating the sale of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat. The selling of chilled or frozen meat as fresh meat not only breaches licensing conditions, but may also pose food safety risks. Any person selling chilled or frozen meat without the FEHD's inspection certificate and permit commits an offence. The FEHD conducts regular inspections at licensed fresh provision shops and market meat stalls, and handle complaints actively. In addition, the department investigates suspected violations proactively and would conduct surprise inspections and take enforcement actions as necessary. When sufficient evidence is found, prosecutions will be initiated and follow-up actions will be taken in regards to breaches of relevant licensing conditions or market tenancy terms, including licence cancellation and termination of market tenancy.
 
     In response to the various parts of the Hon Steven Ho's question, in consultation with the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, our replies are as follows:
 
(1) As of the end of August 2025, the number of licensed fresh provision shops and market stalls permitted to sell fresh chicken, chilled chicken, or both, broken down by district, is provided in Annex I.
 
(2) Over the past five years, the distribution of live chicken slaughtering and retail outlets across districts is set out in Annex II, while changes in local live chicken prices are shown in Annex III.
 
(3) Under the licensing conditions for fresh provision shops and tenancy agreements for the FEHD market stalls, imported chilled chicken must be pre-packaged and labelled in accordance with the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W), and must be sold in its original and intact pre-packaged form. In addition to storing the chilled chicken at 0°C to 4°C, stalls must display a notice stating "Imported Chilled Poultry for Sale" at prominent locations.
 
     During inspections, the FEHD will check the packaging, storage method and temperature of chickens, the purchase invoices and shop inventory, etc, for a comprehensive assessment. From 2020 to August 31, 2025, the number of the FEHD's regular inspections at fresh provision shops and market stalls permitted to sell poultry is tabulated by year below. The FEHD does not keep separate statistics for inspections at shops permitted to sell chilled chicken only.
 
     The FEHD adjusts the number of inspections and staffing arrangements each month according to operational needs.
 

Year	Number of Inspections
2020	About 6 500
2021	About 6 900
2022	About 7 300
2023	About 7 000
2024	About 6 600
2025 (up to August 31)	About 4 400

 
(4) From 2020 to August 31, 2025, the FEHD received 12 complaints about chilled chicken disguised as fresh chickens, and the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department received 11 complaints regarding potential contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by selling chilled chicken as fresh chickens. Both departments completed investigations according to relevant ordinances and took appropriate follow-up action. 
 
     As for pork, under the current arrangement, licensed fresh provision shops and market stalls selling fresh pork may, after obtaining relevant endorsements, also sell properly labelled, pre-packaged chilled pork. This arrangement basically aligns with the requirements for selling fresh and chilled chicken; the aim is to prevent mixed sales of meat while taking into account the needs of the trade. As mentioned above, the FEHD has always paid close attention to the issue of mixed meat sales. The department will immediately take enforcement action against any irregularities detected no matter it is pork or chicken that is involved.
 
(5) The FEHD will continue to combat the sales of chilled chicken as fresh through multiple methods, including regular inspections, investigations on complaints or based on intelligence, proactive investigations on suspected violations and conduct surprise inspections as necessary. In addition, the FEHD will check for strict compliance with licence conditions and tenancy agreements regarding chilled chicken packaging and labelling, as well as the display of notices printed with "Imported Chilled Poultry for Sale" to facilitate identification by consumers.
 
     Regarding increasing live poultry sales points, the FEHD has included an appropriate number of live poultry stalls in the new public markets under construction in Area 67, Tseung Kwan O, and Kwu Tung North New Development Area. Moreover, in March this year, the FEHD auctioned a live poultry stall with display-window design in Tai Kok Tsui Market in Mong Kok District, raising the total number of live poultry stalls in public markets under the FEHD to 85. The new live poultry stalls in public markets must adopt designs with stringent hygiene standards, featuring display window for sale purposes. These stalls must be equipped with dedicated slaughtering rooms, allowing complete separation between buyers and live poultry. In addition, they are outfitted with independent air conditioning, ventilation and air filtration systems to ensure good hygiene conditions. 

Ends/Thursday, September 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 15:30

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