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00The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 5) smashed an unlicensed food factory in Yuen Long.
00FEHD officers raided a hut in Tai Tao Tsuen, Yuen Long, after finding illegal food businesses in operation.
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00䩕The operator of the unlicensed food factory was arrested and will be charged with operating food factory business without a licence.
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䩕All food in the hut was removed for disposal and the paraphernalia seized蒅, an FEHD spokesman said.
Following a number of typhoid cases reported in Yuen Long, the FEHD had recently stepped up raids against illegal cooked food hawkers in the area.
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00"The unlicensed food factory smashed in today﷿s operation is believed to be supplying sweet soup to illegal hawkers in Tin Shui Wai, " the spokesman said.
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00He said stringent enforcement action would continue to be taken against unlicensed food businesses to safeguard food safety and public health.
00"Anyone with information on unlicensed food business should immediately call the department's hotline at 2868 0000," he said.
00According to the Food Business Regulation, the maximum penalty for operating an unlicensed food factory is a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment, plus a daily fine of $900.
Ends/Thursday, January 5, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:40
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