Director's Message - 2007 FEHD Annual Report
The year of 2007 had been a dynamic one for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, both in protecting food safety and public health as well as in maintaining a clean and hygienic living environment in Hong Kong.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has since its establishment in 2006 strengthened the Department's ability to handle food incidents and synergy with the trade and the public. As always, food incidents remained an issue of public concern in 2007. Among them was the oilfish incident. To help the public better understand fish products in the market, the CFS, in collaboration with the trade and other professionals and academics, issued in August guidelines on the identification and labelling of oilfish.
During the year, the CFS adopted a more targeted and client-oriented approach to food surveillance. Results of routine food surveillance were released every two months so that the public could have more up-to-date information and better understanding on the types of food and hazards being tested. In addition, the CFS conducted more surveillance targeted at specific food hazard and disseminated the related food safety information to the public and the trade. To facilitate consumers in making wiser food choices, tests on festive and seasonal food were also carried out.
Other new initiatives under way included the drafting of amendments to the nutrition labelling law for facilitating consumers to make healthier food choices; and the formulating of a new food safety law, which among other things, would introduce more stringent import control over food that has higher safety risk or of wide public concern.
On the environmental hygiene front, the FEHD spared no efforts in preventing vector-borne diseases. During the year, no local case of dengue fever or Japanese encephalitis was recorded. Stringent control and surveillance measures adopted also safeguarded Hong Kong against the risk of an avian flu pandemic.
To provide alternatives for handling cremated human ashes, the Government designated specific water zones for the scattering of human ashes and streamlined application procedures. A new Garden of Remembrance was built at Cape Collinson for public use. The Department is striving to find more suitable sites for building new columbaria to meet the shortfall of niches and will continue to solicit community support for these projects.
Looking ahead, the Department is busy preparing for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events. Our prime target is to ensure food safety for event participants and visitors and maintain a clean environment.
Last but not least, in this first Annual Report of mine, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all my colleagues for their hard work and sterling support for the Department in its endeavour to improve the quality of our service for the people of Hong Kong.
Cheuk Wing-hing
Director
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department