Author Archives: hksar gov

     A woman was fined $10,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today (December 6) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
           
     The courts heard that in September this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Bedford Road in Tai Kok Tsui. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
           
     According to the OLA’s records, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for operating the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
           
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and can lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses”. read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 6) that a sample of prepackaged bamboo fungi was found to contain sulphur dioxide, a preservative, at a level exceeding the legal limit, and the functional class and name of the additive were not declared on the food label. Members of the public should not consume the affected batch of the product. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it.
 
     Product details are as follows: 
 
Product name: Dictyophora indusiata/Dried bamboo fungi
Brand: (Not available in English)
Place of origin: China
Packer: (Not available in English)
Net weight: 100 grams per pack
Use-by date: September 23, 2021
 
     “The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample of bamboo fungi from a shop in Hung Hom for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained sulphur dioxide at a level of 6,730 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the legal limit of 500 ppm. The functional class and name of the additive were also not declared on the food label,” a CFS spokesman said.
 
     “The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularities and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected batch of the product. The importer and supplier concerned has initiated a recall according to the CFS’ instructions. Members of the public may call its hotline at 9655 5833 during office hours for enquiries about the recall. The CFS is also tracing the source of the affected product,” the spokesman added.
 
     Sulphur dioxide is a commonly used preservative in a variety of foods including dried vegetables, dried fruits, pickled vegetables and salted fish products. This preservative is of low toxicity. As it is water soluble, most of it can be removed through washing and cooking. However, susceptible individuals who are allergic to this preservative may experience breathing difficulties, headache and nausea after consumption.
 
     The spokesman reminded the food trade that the use of preservatives in food must comply with the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap 132BD). Furthermore, the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap 132W) require that for all prepackaged food for sale in Hong Kong containing sulphite in a concentration of 10 parts per million or more, the functional class of the sulphite and its name shall be specified in the list of ingredients. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months’ imprisonment upon conviction.
 
     The CFS will alert the trade, continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. Investigation is ongoing.
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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:      Details of the meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and its Committees to be held in the LegCo Complex during the week from December 9 to 14 ar… read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:      The HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited, announces that, with the approval of the fun… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (December 6) investigating an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) at a kindergarten in Fanling, and hence reminded the public and management of institutions to maintain personal and environmental hygiene against AGE.

     The outbreak involves 15 boys and five girls aged 3 to 5 years. They developed vomiting and diarrhoea since November 1. Seventeen of them sought medical attention and none required hospitalisation. Upon laboratory testing, the stool specimen of a child tested positive for adenovirus. All patients are in a stable condition.

     Officers of the CHP have conducted a site visit and provided health advice to the staff of the school concerning proper and thorough disinfection, proper disposal of vomitus, and personal and environmental hygiene. The school has been put under medical surveillance.

     The CHP’s investigations are ongoing.

     A spokesman for the CHP advised members of the public to take heed of the following preventive measures against gastroenteritis:
 

• Ensure proper personal hygiene;
• Wash hands thoroughly before handling food and eating, after using the toilet or after changing diapers;
• Wear gloves when disposing of vomitus or faecal matter, and wash hands afterwards;
• Clean and disinfect contaminated areas or items promptly and thoroughly with diluted household bleach (by adding one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite to 49 parts of water). Wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• Pay attention to food hygiene;
• Use separate utensils to handle raw and cooked food;
• Avoid food that is not thoroughly cooked;
• Drink boiled water; and
• Do not patronise unlicensed food premises or food stalls.

     The public may visit the CHP’s website (www.chp.gov.hk) or call the Health Education Hotline (2833 0111) for more information. read more