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A man was fined $8,000 by Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (January 12) for selling chilled meat and chilled poultry in his shop without permission from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), and selling pork containing sulphur dioxide, a non-permitted preservative.
The prosecution was carried out during an operation on November 11 last year by FEHD officers following a complaint about a fresh provision shop (FPS), "Wing Hung Fresh Meat", located at No 3 Wah Chi Path at Ngau Chi Wan in Wong Tai Sin.
"Under the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X), anyone selling chilled meat and chilled poultry without permission is committing an offence. Additionally, under the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap. 132BD), it is an offence to sell fresh, chilled or frozen meat containing sulphur dioxide. The maximum penalty is a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment upon conviction," an FEHD spokesman said.
"As selling chilled meat as fresh meat is a breach of licensing condition, the department will consider cancelling the FPS licence," he added.
The department will continue to closely monitor the sale of fresh meat at the retail level and take stringent enforcement action to safeguard food safety and public health.
Anyone who has doubts about meat being sold at retail outlets should call the FEHD's hotline at 2868 0000.
Ends/Thursday, January 12, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:36
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