CFS announces findings of Food Consumption Survey in the Younger Population 2021-2022

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 12) announced the findings of the Food Consumption Survey in the Younger Population 2021-2022. The survey collected food consumption information from the local younger population aged from 6 to 17. The data obtained will help enhance the risk assessment capacity of the CFS that targets at the younger population, providing a scientific basis to formulate effective risk management measures and risk communication messages, with a view to safeguarding public health.

     Data collection of the survey was conducted through video calls between July 2021 and November last year. A total of 1 389 respondents aged between 6 and 17 who speak Cantonese, Mandarin or English were successfully enumerated. The survey used two non-consecutive days of "24-hour dietary recall" and a "food frequency questionnaire" to obtain food consumption estimates (i.e. the types and amounts of food consumed). The "24-hour dietary recall" interview was used to collect comprehensive dietary data through inviting the respondents to recall all food and drinks consumed over the previous day with a view to understanding the intake amounts of food and drinks commonly consumed by the younger population. The "food frequency questionnaire", on the other hand, was used to understand the intake amounts of certain foods such as seasonal food and festive food (e.g. Chinese New Year pudding, lychee). Furthermore, respondents' body height and body weight data were also collected to facilitate the interpretation of the food consumption information collected.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "Through this survey, the CFS has obtained a set of food consumption data of Hong Kong's younger population, comprising the average daily intake amounts of 31 food groups and 157 food subgroups consumed by the respondents. The data collected will enhance the capacity of the CFS to conduct more accurate and reliable food safety risk assessments for the younger population. The CFS will also use the food consumption data to review the sampling strategy of the routine Food Surveillance Programme and to assess and propose amendments to local food safety standards and regulations."

     "The CFS adopts a food safety control paradigm based on the risk analysis model and the data obtained from food consumption surveys is a cornerstone of the CFS's food safety risk assessment work, which is conducive to more scientific and proportionate measures for regulatory control of food safety in Hong Kong", the spokesman added.

     The report of the Food Consumption Survey in the Younger Population 2021-2022 has been uploaded to the CFS website (https://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_firm/programme_fcs_yp2021-22.html). Summary results of the food consumption data included in the survey report have also been uploaded to DATA.GOV.HK for download and conducting relevant scientific research by members of the public and academic institutions.