The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (November 14) announced that a sample of imported sweet potato from the Mainland and a sample of imported crab from the Philippines were detected with lead and cadmium respectively, which are metallic contaminants, at levels exceeding the legal limits. 

     "The CFS collected the above-mentioned samples at the import levels for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test results showed that the sweet potato sample contained lead at a level of 0.5 parts per million, exceeding the legal limit of 0.1 ppm; while the crab sample contained cadmium at a level of 2.93 ppm, exceeding the legal limit of 2 ppm," a spokesman for the CFS said.

     "Long-term excessive dietary exposure to lead may cause anaemia and damage to the nervous system and kidneys, and long-term excessive intake of cadmium may affect the kidney functions. The CFS has informed the importers concerned of the irregularities and instructed them to stop sales and remove from shelves the affected products. The CFS is also tracing the sources and distributions of the products concerned," the spokesman added.

     According to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V), any person who sells food with metallic contamination above the legal limit is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.

     The CFS will alert the Mainland and Philippine authorities as well as the trade, and continue to follow up on the incidents and take appropriate action. The investigations are ongoing.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (November 14) that Big Wave Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island, is temporarily closed until further notice for maintenance of the shark prevention nets. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     The red flag at the beach was hoisted earlier due to big waves.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 14) that in view of notifications from the Ministry of Agriculture of Hungary and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Komárom-Esztergom County in Hungary, as well as in the Veneto region of the Province of Treviso and the Lombardia region of the Province of Mantua in Italy, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the above-mentioned areas with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Hungary for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 150 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Hungary, and about 120 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 20 000 poultry eggs from Italy in the first nine months of this year.

     â€‹"The CFS has contacted the Hungarian and Italian authorities over the issues and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreaks. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (Brussels ETO) promoted opportunities in Hong Kong for innovation and technology (I&T) start-ups and companies that are attending the Web Summit Lisbon 2024 in Portugal.
 
     In collaboration with Invest Hong Kong and the Portugal-Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Brussels ETO hosted a networking reception on November 12 (Lisbon time) for about 100 participants of the Web Summit. At the reception,  Brussels ETO Assistant Representative Mr Paul Leung outlined Hong Kong's distinctive advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle and in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

     Mr Leung highlighted the commitment of the Government in strengthening the role of Hong Kong as an international I&T centre and encouraged I&T companies to set up their operations in Hong Kong. He invited participants to come and see firsthand how Hong Kong is the place for I&T and why Hong Kong is an ideal place for them to grow their business, innovations and technology.
 
     The Web Summit is a major global technology conference and is being held this year from November 11 to 14 (Lisbon time). It is attended by over 70 000 international participants in the field of technology.

     The Government announced today (November 14) that the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, has appointed or reappointed the following persons as Board members of the Hong Kong Dance Company Limited for a period of two years until the conclusion of the company's Annual General Meeting in 2026.
 
Ms Christine Leung Wan-chong (reappointment)
Ms Melissa Kaye Pang (reappointment)
Mr Ronald Wu Keng-hou (reappointment)
Mr Ting Tin-yau (new appointment)