Applications for Food Licence Holders Subsidy Scheme and Licensed Hawkers Subsidy Scheme to start on March 5

     The Government has established the Food Licence Holders Subsidy Scheme and Licensed Hawkers Subsidy Scheme under the Anti-epidemic Fund to provide financial support to the food business sector and licensed hawkers hard-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (March 4) announced that applications for the schemes will start from tomorrow (March 5) at 9am. The deadline for applications will be on May 4 at 5pm.   
 
     The Food Licence Holders Subsidy Scheme aims to provide financial subsidies to eight types of food business licence holders. A one-off subsidy of $200,000 will be provided to eligible licence holders of the premises in operation including general restaurants, marine restaurants and factory canteens; and a subsidy of $80,000 will be provided to eligible licence holders of the premises in operation including light refreshment restaurants, fresh provision shops, food factories, bakeries and siu mei and lo mei shops.
 
     The Licensed Hawkers Subsidy Scheme will offer a subsidy of $5,000 to each eligible licensee of a hawker licence, which remains valid when the application is approved. The Subsidy Scheme shall not apply to persons newly issued with a hawker licence under the "2019 Re-allocation of Vacant Fixed Hawker Pitches and Issue of New Licences" exercise.
 
     The Food Licence Holders Subsidy Scheme and the Licensed Hawkers Subsidy Scheme are expected to benefit about 28 000 licensees and 5 500 licensees respectively.
 
     Applicants can download application forms of the schemes from the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk) or obtain from District Environmental Hygiene Offices of the FEHD starting from 9am tomorrow (March 5). Applicants can submit their applications in person, by mail or online. Processing work is expected to be completed within about two weeks from receiving eligible applications from applicants. After the applications are approved, the subsidies will be sent out by crossed cheques to the corresponding licensed food premises or the correspondence address of licensed hawkers registered with the FEHD.