Tag Archives: China

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt, and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on January 4 to noon today (January 5), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 119 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
 
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 23 526 samples of food imported from Japan (including 15 657 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 6 666 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, will depart for Shanghai on January 7 (Sunday). He will meet with officials from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government, t… read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients infected with Influenza A, the spokesperson for Kowloon Hospital (KH) gave the following update tod… read more

     A man who went missing in Hung Hom has been located.      Lam Chun-loi, aged 70, went missing after he left his residence on Sze Chun Street on January 3 noon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.      The man was l… read more

     â€‹FarmFest 2024 runs for three consecutive days between today (January 5) and January 7 at Fa Hui Park in Mong Kok to showcase a variety of local agricultural and fisheries products and other goods.

     Jointly organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the Vegetable Marketing Organization (VMO) and the Fish Marketing Organization (FMO), FarmFest is the largest outdoor farmers’ market in Hong Kong, and local producers can directly sell their products to consumers at the event. FarmFest houses some 400 stalls, among which, more than 200 offer local produce for sale. There are also stalls selling local delicacies, organic and healthy food, and household goods.

     An array of agricultural and fisheries products is on sale during FarmFest, featuring premium agricultural products produced by local organic, hydroponic and accredited farms, including green and purple kohlrabies, strawberries, mushrooms, eggplants, zucchinis, cherry tomatoes, hydroponic hok tau pak choy and hydroponic watercress seedlings. Local fresh fisheries products cultured by local accredited fish farms, such as spiny lobsters, pompanos, Yuen Long grey mullets, jade perches, orbicular batfishes, tilapia, speckled blue grouper and patin fish, are also available. Additionally, the ready-to-cook food product “Cherry Wood Smoked Pompano”, developed through co-operation and research between industry, academia, the AFCD and the FMO, will be launched for sale for the first time at the carnival. Easy to prepare and delicious, the dish is ready to serve by just reheating in a microwave.

     The AFCD has been proactively promoting sustainable development of the agricultural and fisheries industry. To enable consumers to learn more about the latest developments in the industry, an agricultural zone and a fisheries zone are set up at FarmFest to demonstrate how the industry boosts productivity and enhances the quality of local produce by the use of technology.

     The agricultural zone introduces modern farming technologies, including controlled environment hydroponic technology, farm mechanisation and smart greenhouse technology through virtual reality (VR), to bring home to members of the public how modern technology can save manpower, time and manual labour, thereby enhancing farming efficiency. The smart organic farm will demonstrate the solar-powered automated irrigation system which can be remotely controlled. AFCD staff on-site will guide visitors to try operating the irrigation system. Furthermore, the agricultural zone will display greenhouse crops, seasonal local produce, inflatable props of the theme crops and two mascots of the Agricultural Hall “The Farmily” – “Ricey” and “Beany” – for members of the public to take photos.

     The fisheries zone exhibits new aquaculture technologies which drive fisheries into modernised and sustainable development. For example, visitors can experience the modern mariculture demonstration farm established by the AFCD at Tung Lung Chau via VR technology, demonstrating the advantages of semi-submersible steel truss deep sea cages over traditional wooden fish rafts. The small-scale recirculating aquaculture system carrying local aquaculture species features the aquaculture system workflow and its functions. Furthermore, drone and microscopes are available in the exhibition area, where members of the public can see for themselves the modern methods of collecting water samples and try to detect plankton in the water on the spot. AFCD staff on-site will also guide visitors through the process and introduce different algal species. The mascots of the Fisheries Hall have also come out from Sai Kung Tsiu Hang to meet the public at Farmfest. Citizens can take photos with the inflatable props of the mascots at the photo zone of the fisheries zone.

     In addition, FarmFest offers a variety of entertaining performances, including music and cultural performances, and cooking demonstrations. Photo backdrops featuring local agricultural and fisheries products are also set up for enjoyment of people of all ages. Admission is free. The event is open from 10am to 8pm, and a free shuttle bus service is available to and from Shek Kip Mei MTR Station Exit B1 located at Woh Chai Street.

     The AFCD has produced a series of short videos featuring local agricultural and fisheries products. The videos and details of FarmFest can be viewed at www.farmfest.hk (Chinese version only) or www.facebook.com/farmfesthk.

     FarmFest is also the grand finale event of the “Happy Hong Kong – A and F Carnival” and the last carnival of “Happy Hong Kong”. read more