To safeguard food safety, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) launched blitz operations on January 25 and today (January 31) in Tsuen Wan to inspect the grocery shops in the Yi Pei Square vicinity to combat the illegal sale of meat and poultry from dubious sources, with a view to ensuring that meat and poultry on sale in the market comply with regulations under relevant laws.
      
     During the two operations, five grocery shops were found selling meat and poultry without a licence. The grocery shops were suspected of violating the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X) (the Regulation). Procedures on prosecution were initiated against the operators of the five grocery shops concerned. In addition, a total of about 210 kilograms of meat and poultry without valid health certificates found in the five premises were seized for disposal.

     Under the Regulation, save for the licence granted by the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, no person shall carry on a fresh provision shop. Under the Regulation, any person who operates an unlicensed food business or sells restricted foods without permission commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

     In addition, according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction. Under the Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612), any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the record-keeping requirement relating to movement of food commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months upon conviction.

     The spokesman added, "The department will continue to conduct regular inspections, and will actively handle the complaints received to combat the illegal sale of meat and poultry from dubious sources, so as to safeguard food safety and public health. Upon detection of irregularities, the FEHD will carry out immediate investigations and take stringent enforcement action."

Ends/Monday, January 31, 2022
Issued at HKT 19:00

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