| Date |
Event |
| 3 January |
Shopping centres are targeted in the launch of the first phase of the Anti-rodent Campaign to raise managements' awareness of the importance of rodent prevention and control, and to reduce the number of rodents in and around shopping centres. The campaign's promotion phase ends on 15 January. |
| 17 January to 6 February |
The Year-end Clean-up is conducted to improve Hong Kong's living environment. |
| 21 January |
A series of workshops and seminars on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-based Food Safety Plan is arranged from January to March for school lunch-box suppliers. |
| 31 January |
FEHD's Communication Resource Unit achieves ISO 9001:2000 certification on design and provision of printed materials for food safety and public health promotion. |
| 3 February |
Lunar New Year Fairs are arranged by the Department in 12 districts for seven days. |
| 6 February |
The 18-day Che Kung Festival Fair begins in Sha Tin District. |
| 21 February to 2 April |
The first phase of the Anti-mosquito Campaign is launched to raise awareness and encourage community participation in implementing mosquito control and prevention measures, and to improve co-operation between government departments. |
| 21 February |
A series of roving exhibitions on genetically modified (GM) food begins in selected housing estate shopping centres. |
| 22 March |
Train-the-trainer workshops on nutrition labelling begin for members of women's associations. The workshops are being held between March and December. |
| 11 April to 14 May |
Further measures to enhance the Anti-mosquito Campaign are introduced with a Hong Kong-wide operation focusing on prevention and control at village houses and problem spots. |
| 15 April |
The results of a collaborative study on salt in local markets are announced by the FEHD and the Consumer Council. |
| 27 to 29 April |
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, leads a delegation, which includes Assistant Director (Food Surveillance and Control), to Guangzhou to further strengthen ties with various government officials. |
| 28 to 29 April |
Representatives of the FEHD and the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau meet in Zhuhai with Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureaux from Guangdong, Shenzhen and Zhuhai on hygiene, animal inspection and quarantine, and food safety. |
| 10 May |
The "Study on Dietary Exposure to Lead of Secondary School Students" is presented to the Legislative Council Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene. |
| 23 May to 2 July |
The second phase of the Anti-mosquito Campaign gets under way with an emphasis on the importance of eliminating mosquito breeding places during the rainy season. |
| 30 May |
Phase 1A of the Licensing Management Information System is launched covering the renewal of existing licences and permits due to expire on or after 1 September 2005, except Liquor Licences, Places of Public Entertainment Licences and Karaoke Establishment Permits. |
| 30 May |
The Hygiene Manager (HM) and Hygiene Supervisor (HS) Scheme is implemented to strengthen food safety supervision in licensed food premises. |
| 14 June |
A Food Safety Seminar is held for the food trade on the need for continuous improvement and collaboration with the trade on food safety. |
| 28-29 June |
The Food Research Laboratory succeeds in re-affirming its accreditation status and extending its accreditation to cover the testing of more nutritional parameters under the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme, following a re-assessment visit by Hong Kong Accreditation Services. |
| 4 to 30 July |
A new phase of the Anti-rodent Campaign is launched to improve rodent control in and around shopping centres faced with persistent rodent problems, and to reinforce prevention messages for shopping centre managements. |
| 11 July to 6 August |
Strengthening mosquito prevention and control at old tenement buildings and problem spots is the theme of a special operation to sustain the Anti-mosquito Campaign. |
| 14 July |
The freeze on rents for all public markets is extended to the end of June 2006. |
| 24 July |
A ceremony is held at Plaza Hollywood, Diamond Hill, to highlight "Food Temperature Control" and the "Signing of a Food Safety Charter". Other packaged educational programmes include a series of food hygiene seminars for food business personnel, teachers and the public. Roving exhibitions are also held in other shopping centres. |
| 25 July to 23 August |
The Department steps up the inspection and quarantine of imported pigs and pork from the Mainland as well as ante-and-post-mortem inspections of pigs in slaughterhouses, following the Streptococcus suis incident in Sichuan. |
| 8 to 24 August |
As a result of the Streptococcus suis report, the FEHD inspected two pig farms in Hunan, two in Sichuen and one in Guangxi. |
| 15 August to 8 October |
The third phase of the Anti-mosquito Campaign highlights the risk of dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis, and seeks community support in helping to control mosquito vectors at the end of the rainy season. |
| 18 August to 6 September |
The Department steps up surveillance and sampling of fish and fish products at import control points and markets to detect malachite green. |
| 23 to 24 August |
Representatives of FEHD and the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau meet the Minister of the State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, Mr Li Changjiang, in Beijing. Consensus is reached on improving the safety of Mainland food for supply to Hong Kong. |
| 26 August |
The Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2005 is gazetted to give immediate effect to prohibiting the presence of malachite green in food. |
| 31 August |
Chief Executive Donald Tsang visits the FEHD to better understand the various services it provides. |
| 31 August |
Disease vector investigation is conducted on a local Japanese encephalitis case involving a resident of Tin Heng Estate, Tin Shui Wai. Mosquito control measures are strengthened with special attention to areas around pig farms and where migratory birds congregate. No other cases are reported in 2005. |
| 2 September to 14 October |
Following the malachite green incident, 39 fresh-water fish farms are inspected jointly by the FEHD and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. |
| 7 September |
The Department includes the monitoring of imported fish for the presence of malachite green in its food surveillance programme. |
| 15 September |
The FEHD and the Consumer Council announce the results of a collaborative survey on histamine in canned fish and tuna sandwiches. |
| 26 September |
A new "Keep Hong Kong Clean" publicity drive is launched encouraging people to maintain their effort in helping to keep the city clean. The campaign includes TV and radio messages, and displays of posters and stickers. |
| 1 October |
The new air-conditioned Mong Kok Cooked Food Market opens. |
| 24 October |
An antioxidant, calcium disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate, is included in the First Schedule of the Preservatives in Food Regulations. |
| 24 October to 10 December |
To sustain the momentum of the third phase of the Anti-mosquito Campaign, the Department launches a Hong Kong-wide operation focusing on improving mosquito control measures around village houses, passenger, cargo and container terminals, old tenement buildings and other problem spots. |
| 24 to 25 October |
A Veterinary Public Health Workshop is held with scientists and government officials from the Mainland, Canada and Hong Kong invited as speakers. |
| 16 November |
FEHD and Health, Welfare and Food Bureau representatives meet the Shenzhen Municipal Government in relation to the notification mechanism on incidents of food safety and public health. |
| 22 November |
A series of train-the-trainer workshops on GM food for members of Parent-Teacher Associations is launched. The series continues until March 2006. |
| 23 November |
Another series of workshops and seminars, this time on the HACCP-based Food Safety Plan, is arranged from November to February 2006 for "poon choi" suppliers. |
| 29 November |
A seminar dealing with a rat-free city and the control of fleas and biting midges is held for representatives of government departments and the trade. |
| 1 December |
The new air-conditioned Tai Kok Tsui Market opens, providing facilities for the tenants of the former Boundary Street Market and Tai Kok Tsui Temporary Market, as well as the licensed hawkers of Tai Kok Tsui Temporary Cooked Food Hawker Bazaar. |
| 9 December |
The Anti-rodent Campaign 2006 is launched to conduct anti-rodent control measures in rural areas, such as hiking trails and villages, frequented by visitors. The promotion phase ends on 5 January 2006. A 12-month pilot study on maintaining rat-free villages also begins during the campaign. |
| 13 to 18 December |
The Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation is held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. In collaboration with other government departments, an emergency co-ordination centre is established to promptly handle major incidents. |
| 15 December |
The results of a collaborative survey on disposable plastic containers for take-away meals are released by the Department and the Consumer Council. |
| 29 December |
The Department partially lifts the suspension on the importation of beef from the United States. |
