The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, established on January 1, 2000, serves the 6.7 million people of Hong Kong with a wide range of services from food surveillance and certification to the planning, co-ordination and delivery of environmental hygiene services and public education on safe food and environmental cleanliness. With an establishment of some 12,500 staff members, the Department delivers the services through three branches - Food and Public Health, Environmental Hygiene, and Administration and Development.
The Anti-rodent Campaign 2002 is launched to arouse public awareness and encourage community participation in improving environmental hygiene and rodent control, and safeguarding public health. The promotion phase of the Campaign ends on February 2.
7 January 2002
The Department organises school talks aimed at promoting students' awareness of the importance of a clean Hong Kong.
20 January to 3 February 2002
The Department is modernising its public toilets to provide a much improved service for residents and visitors. To keep the community informed, the Department organises the 'Public Toilet Cleanliness Competition', inviting the public to vote and assess on 10 newly built or refurbished public toilets with a high daily usage. The public response is very encouraging with some 12,000 votes received.
23 January 2002
Lunar New Year Fairs are staged by the Department in 12 districts over seven days.
28 January 2002
The 19-day Che Kung Festival Fair begins in Sha Tin.
New import requirements introduced for live quail from the Mainland to prevent avian flu H5 outbreak in Hong Kong.
18 February 2002
The Department and the Consumer Council announce the results of a collaborative survey on veterinary drug residues in milk.
25 February 2002
The Department organises a seminar for the food trade to promulgate the Microbiological Guidelines for Ready-to-eat Food.
26 February 2002
Experts from Health Canada run a 3-day workshop on safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) food for officers of FEHD and other government departments.
The Anti-mosquito Campaign 2002 is launched to encourage community participation in organising anti-mosquito measures and to enhance co-operation between concerned government departments. The first phase of the Campaign ends on April 27.
3 April 2002
The Department commissions a consulting firm to conduct a Regulatory Impact Assessment study on labelling of GM food, in response to concerns that a mandatory labelling system would increase food prices and reduce the variety of food products available in the community.
9 April 2002
A series of workshops and seminars is arranged to promote the adoption of the Food Safety Plan for food handlers manufacturing or selling siu mei and lo mei.
29 April 2002
The PRC's Deputy Minister of Agriculture visits Man Kam To Food Control Office and Livestock Inspection Station.
To celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong SAR, the Department organises a 3-month roving exhibition to showcase the joint efforts of the Government and local community in the Clean Hong Kong campaign.
2 May 2002
The Food Research Laboratory starts providing testing and research support to risk assessment and food standard setting.
6 May 2002
The Department launches a 2-year health education programme on public hygiene and food safety to reach out to all primary and secondary schools, elderly centres, new arrivals and members of the public through talks, visits, exhibitions, game booths and seminars.
15 May 2002
The Department begins an intensive two-week publicity campaign to launch the Fixed Penalty System for common public cleansing offences. It includes a wide range of new and creative publicity items. The Chairman of the Clean Hong Kong Steering Committee, Dr Daniel TSE, and the Secretary for Environment and Food, Mrs Lily YAM, officiate at a launching ceremony together with representatives of all the enforcement departments.
27 May 2002
The Fixed Penalty System comes into operation with a two-week grace period. The system provides for a fixed penalty of $600 for any person who commits the offence of littering, spitting, the unauthorised display of bills or posters, and allowing the fouling of streets by dogs in public places.
28 May 2002
The second phase of the Anti-mosquito Campaign 2002 commences early in response to the high average monthly ovitrap index for April. The campaign aims to encourage community participation in controlling dengue fever vector, heighten public awareness of the potential risk of dengue fever and eliminate mosquito breeding places. The Campaign's second phase ends on July 6.
The second phase of the Anti-rodent Campaign 2002 is launched to reinforce rodent prevention messages for the management of licensed food premises. The second phase ends on July 6.
6-9 June 2002
FEHD delegation invited by Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation to give presentation on the control of veterinary drugs in food animals to all exporting traders in the Mainland.
10 June 2002
The Fixed Penalty System is first enforced after the two-week grace period, with 45 fixed penalty notices issued by the Department on the first day.
19 June 2002
A large scale illegal frozen meat distribution centre in Tong Tau Po Tsuen, Yuen Long is successfully smashed with the Department seizing the largest quantity of frozen meat for the year. The operator is convicted by the Court and about 13 tonnes of frozen meat are seized.
25 June 2002
The Food Hygiene Campaign kicks off under the theme 'Enhanced Food Safety, Let's Reduce Risks'.
27 June 2002
The Department releases results of a microbiological risk assessment on salads and gives advice on hygienic practices to the public.
The new air-conditioned Luen Wo Hui Market opens to the public.
5 July 2002
The Honourable Fred. LI Wah-ming, Chairman of the Legislative Council Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene, officiates at the prize presentation ceremony for the winners of three student anti-mosquito competitions at the Space Museum.
6 July 2002
A 'Para Para Clean and Green Dance Competition' is held jointly by the Department and the Education Department as a highlight of their joint efforts in arousing students' awareness in Clean Hong Kong through school education and extra-curricular activities. Seventeen school teams join the competition and they disseminate the Clean Hong Kong messages to the public through dancing and rap talk.
The Department outsources 70% of mechanised gully cleansing service with a view to providing a more flexible and cost-effective service to the public.
12 September 2002
The Department succeeds in taking enforcement action against three supermarkets in Cheung Hang Estate, Tsing Yi Estate and Kwai Shing West Estate for displaying chilled meat as fresh meat for sale.
23 September 2002
The third phase of the Anti-mosquito Campaign 2002 is launched to sustain the community effort in controlling dengue fever vector and maintain public awareness on the potential risk of dengue fever. Coincidentally, there is a local outbreak of dengue fever.
27 September 2002
New sets of teaching kits on GM food delivered to all primary and secondary schools.
Four seminars are arranged for about 250 primary and secondary school teachers to tie in with the launching of the GM food teaching kits.
8 October 2002
Delegation led by DFEH inspects a cattle farm supplying Hong Kong in Hebei province.
11 October 2002
The Department releases the report on the study on dietary exposure of secondary school students to dioxins and heavy metals in Hong Kong, and gives advice to the public on the measures to reduce such food safety risks.
12 October 2002
Chief Health Inspector Wong Wai-wan is awarded the Medal of Honour and 11 other officers of the Department including three Health Inspectors and eight Hawker Control Officers are awarded the Chief Executive's Commendations for Government/Public Services at Government House in recognition of their exemplary performance in combating illegal slaughterhouses and unlicensed meat roasting food factories. In addition, a Senior Clerical Officer is also awarded the Chief Executive's Commendations for his distinguished performance in the Hawker Records Office.
21 October 2002
The Department launches a train-the-trainers programme on GM food for women organisations. The programme comprises 12 workshops running till January 2003.
21 October 2002 to 26 January 2003
A 14-week publicity programme targeting road users is launched through Commercial Radio to promote Clean Hong Kong.
The Department outsources all mechanised street sweeping service to provide a more flexible and cost-effective service to the public.
1 November 2002
The Department steps up its action on clearing refuse and mosquito control measures following an outbreak of dengue fever. The enhanced services are outsourced and some 180 staff employed for the job.
4 November 2002
The Director meets the Director General, Department of Health Legislation and Inspection, Ministry of Health, Dr ZHAO Tonggang ( θΆ ε ε ), and exchanges views on the management of food and public health matters.
11 November 2002
A delegation from the Food and Veterinary office (FVO) of the European Commission visits Hong Kong factories exporting food products to European Union countries.
17 November 2002
The World Health Organisation(WHO) Scientist in Vector Control, Dr Chang Moh-seng, accompanied by the Director, visits Ma Wan to examine the ovitrap survey.
18 November 2002
The Department announces that the rental freeze for all public markets will be extended to the end of 2003.
23-26 November 2002
A delegation from FEHD, invited by the Mainland's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to present protocols, results and legislation on veterinary drugs residues in food animals and animal products to official representatives of all provinces in Shanghai.
27-28 November 2002
A major seminar organised on 'Veterinary Public Health' in the Central Hong Kong Public Library. Internationally recognised speakers from Canada, Australia and Singapore present the programme for over 150 professionals and field staff from FEHD with simultaneous translation into Cantonese. Participants include professional staff from other departments and related officials from the Mainland.
28 November 2002
The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, visits Tsuen Wan to see the work of cleansing workers in the newly created jobs, including washing backlanes, removal of gum dirt on pavements and illegal bills.
The Department implements the alignment policy for all cooked food stall hawker licensees (other than those in public housing estates). All eligible licensees in Hong Kong can surrender their cooked food stall hawker licences for cancellation in exchange for a one-off ex-gratia payment of $60,000. The offer is valid for five years from 1 December 2002 to 30 November 2007.
2 December 2002
The import of chilled chickens from the Mainland resumes. All imported chilled chickens are subject to stringent controls starting from breeding on the farm, processing, transport, distribution and to retail sales in order to safeguard public health.
15 December 2002
The Department stages an exhibition at the 37th Hong Kong Products Expo.
20 December 2002
The Department launches a half-year publicity programme on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
