In recent years, the challenges facing the people of Hong Kong and the Government have seemingly become more complex and require intense and concerted efforts to overcome. The outbreak earlier in 2003 of the previously unheard of infection, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), is a case in point. But, as with previous crises, the Hong Kong community rallied to the cause and none more so than the staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).

We spearheaded the implementation of a wide range of environmental hygiene improvement measures as part of the 'Team Clean' operation. In the process, we created some 3,000 temporary jobs mainly to help sweep a "new broom" through Hong Kong - cleansing and washing open spaces and backlanes, old tenement buildings and markets, eliminating environmental black spots, and strengthening pest control measures. We adopted a 'zero-tolerance' to littering and other anti-social behaviour and were greatly helped in our campaign when the penalty for these offences was more than doubled to $1,500 in June. The dedication and resolve of our staff was exemplary throughout the crisis, putting the interests of the community above their own concerns.

But this professionalism was not just shown during the SARS crisis. Some six months later, from December 2003, we were faced with the prospect of another bout of avian influenza following reports of outbreaks in different places in Asia, including the Mainland, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Subsequently a number of deaths were recorded in other countries. Fortunately, swift action by the Government, through relevant frontline departments, such as the FEHD, prevented the spread of the disease to Hong Kong. And we remained free of avian flu throughout the scare which continued into the first quarter of 2004.

The success we had in keeping the disease at bay was due largely to the vigilance of our staff and other departments involved, and the series of preventive measures put in place since the first outbreak of H5N1 in 1997. These include a vaccination programme, tightened biosecurity of local farms, control inspection on the import of poultry, market rest days and hygiene requirements on wholesale markets and retail outlets.

The efforts of our staff and contractors in helping to combat both SARS and avian influenza during the year were marvellous and I would like to publicly express my deepest gratitude to them on a job well done. Working under increased pressure brought out the best in them, and I am sure this attitude will continue as we maintain our stepped up campaign to keep Hong Kong clean. As our population grows and the pressure on the environment builds up, we cannot let our standards slip. Maintaining a clean and healthy environment will always be the key role of the FEHD.

There were other successes during the year. The Department stepped up its mosquito control work and only one local case of dengue fever was reported during the year. The Department, with the aid of new legislation, was able to tackle unlicensed and unhygienic food premises more effectively. Later in the year, a Food Hygiene Code in both Chinese and English was published and distributed to all food business licensees. The code is designed to help food business operators achieve higher food hygiene and safety standards in their premises. And the Department has moved closer to the introduction of a labelling scheme on nutrition information with the launch in November of a public consultation exercise on the proposal.

As we swung into action at the end of the year to tackle the threat of an outbreak of avian influenza, the FEHD demonstrated once again it will persevere to uphold its mission "to ensure that food is fit for human consumption and to maintain a clean and hygienic living environment for the people of Hong Kong".

Gregory Leung
Director
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department