The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (January 25) urged the public not to consume one kind of butter product imported from Australia due to potential microbial contamination. The trade should stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it.

     Details of the product are as follows:

Product name: MG Brand Butter, Unsalted 25KG
Brand: MG
Place of origin: Australia
Net weight: 25 kilograms
Date of manufacture: April 21, 2021
Shelf life: Two years
Importer: Foodgears Industrial International Ltd

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS received a notification from the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment of Australia that the above-mentioned product might have been microbiologically contaminated and is being recalled. According to the information provided by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment of Australia, the affected batch of the product has been imported into Hong Kong. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS immediately contacted the local importer concerned for follow-up."

     A preliminary investigation found that the local importer, Foodgears Industrial International Ltd, had imported the affected batch of the product into Hong Kong. The importer concerned has initiated a recall according to the CFS' instructions. Enquiries about the recall can be made to the hotline at 3999 5706 during office hours.

     The spokesman urged consumers not to consume the affected batch of the product if they have bought any. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product concerned immediately if they possess it.

     The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, continue to follow up and take appropriate action. Investigation is ongoing.   

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs seized about 135 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $140 million at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound on January 10. Two men were arrested yesterday (January 24). 

     Through risk assessment and intelligence sharing with overseas law enforcement agencies, Customs officers on that day selected for inspection a seaborne container, declared as containing frozen meat, arriving in Hong Kong from Suriname. Upon examination, Customs officers found 104 bricks of suspected cocaine concealed inside the refrigerator compartments at the extreme front of the container that was fully loaded with goods.

     After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers yesterday arrested a 28-year-old man and a 33-year-old man, suspected to be in connection with the case, in Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan respectively.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Risk assessment has all along been an effective strategy adopted by Customs to intercept the import and transit movements of dangerous drugs in various channels. The department will continue to step up anti-narcotic efforts by risk assessment and intelligence analysis with international co-operation.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

            

     Hongkong Post announced today (January 25) the release of a set of special stamps and associated philatelic products on the theme of "XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022" on February 4 (Friday), with best wishes for Hong Kong athletes in the Games and continuing the community's enthusiasm for the Olympics.
 
     The XXIV Olympic Winter Games (Winter Olympics) will be held in Beijing from February 4 to 20. It is of great significance for China to host its first Winter Olympics, while Beijing, as one of the host cities, will be the first city in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Games, contributing to the Olympic Movement in its unique way.
 
     The set of four special stamps features different sports in the Winter Olympics, including alpine skiing, a physically demanding sport; ice hockey, which emphasises speed and tactics; figure skating, an elegant mix of art and sport contested on ice; and short track speed skating, which requires strategy, bravery and skill. Silhouettes of the athletes are printed against a streamlined background in the colours of the Olympic rings which add a sense of dynamism to the stamps.
 
     The design of the presentation pack, inspired by the vision of the Winter Olympics as a "Joyful rendezvous upon pure ice and snow", adopts the blue colour from the Winter Olympics emblem which symbolises dreams and the future. The ice and snow in the presentation pack are accentuated in silver foiling to highlight the impression of brightness and purity, making it a valuable philatelic collection.
 
     For the convenience of purchase of the above stamp products as well as to reduce social contacts in view of the latest development of the local epidemic situation, Hongkong Post will reopen its online advanced order service from 8am on January 27 to February 3 to enable customers to place their orders for the above special stamps and associated philatelic products. Customers may place their orders on Hongkong Post's online shopping mall "ShopThruPost" (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk) without the need of visiting the post offices. Hongkong Post will separately notify customers of the collection date of their orders.
 
     To avoid gathering of people at the post offices and to observe social distancing, there will not be any hand-back date-stamping service for official first day covers/souvenir covers/private covers on the date of issue of this set of special stamps (February 4), but collection points will be set up at all post offices to receive covers requiring the hand-back date-stamping service. These date-stamped covers will be available for collection from February 5 and customers will be advised on the collection schedule upon acceptance of the covers. In addition, the deadline of accepting orders for servicing self-provided covers will also be extended to January 31. There will not be any change in the collection schedule for customers who have previously placed advance orders for this set of special stamps before January 21.
 
     To join hands in fighting the virus, customers are encouraged to place their purchases online either through the online advanced order service or from the day of the new stamp issue (February 4). Those who have a genuine need to visit the post offices are advised to refrain from staying after their purchases.
 
     Information about this set of special stamps and associated philatelic products is available on the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk) and the "ShopThruPost" mobile app.
 

      

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting tomorrow (January 26) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on ten-year plan for primary healthcare. The motion, moved by Ms Chan Hoi-yan, is set out in Appendix. Mr Kingsley Wong, Mr Edward Leung, Dr David Lam, Mr Tommy Cheung, Mr Duncan Chiu, Ms Judy Chan and Ms Yung Hoi-yan will move separate amendments to Ms Chan Hoi-yan's motion.
 
     Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
 
     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the "Webcast" system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.

     â€‹The Labour Department (LD) today (January 25) announced that the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board, the Labour Relations Division (Kowloon West Branch Office), the Employees' Compensation Division, the Occupational Medicine Unit (Kowloon), the Operations Division (Kowloon Region) of the Occupational Safety Service and the Labour Inspection Division on the 10th floor of Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices will resume counter services from tomorrow (January 26).
 
     In view of the Government's exercise of the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and the publication on January 22 in the Gazette of a compulsory testing notice that has required any person who stayed at the LD, 10/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, Sham Shui Po, for more than one hour during the specified period (i.e. January 17 to 21) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test, the LD's service counters on that floor have been suspended on January 24 and 25.
 
     The LD will continue to strictly implement various disease prevention measures, and remind all staff to stay vigilant in regard to personal hygiene at all times. It will also maintain close liaison with the Centre for Health Protection in its anti-epidemic work.
 
     For information about the LD's services, members of the public may browse the LD's website at www.labour.gov.hk or contact the department's 24-hour enquiry hotline at 2717 1771 (handled by 1823).