The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) continued its best endeavours in 2021 to safeguard food safety and maintain a clean and hygienic environment for the people of Hong Kong.

Fighting the virus

In 2021, the Department continued to stand at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department has been pro-actively participating in anti-epidemic work and implementing various anti-epidemic measures.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Department stepped up cleansing, disinfection and pest control services for facilities under the Department’s management, which include public markets, cooked food centres, cooked food markets, hawker bazaars, public toilets and refuse collection points.  Street cleansing, refuse collection and pest control services in public places were strengthened.  Inspection and enforcement against cleanliness offences were also stepped up.

The Department provided additional refuse collection, street washing and portable toilet (if required) services in public places within specified "restricted areas". It also provided disinfection service at the residences of confirmed patients as well as enhancing the sweeping and washing of public places in the vicinity.

The Department also strengthened inspections of and enforcement against catering premises and scheduled premises as well as the facilities under the purview of the Department pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599) and its subsidiary legislation. Besides, the department appointed a Working Group on Implementing the Requirement on Air Change or Air Purifiers in Dine-in Restaurants, to advise the Government on the smooth implementation of the requirement and support the trade in scaling up the anti-epidemic capability of catering premises.

To provide financial relief to sectors hard hit by the COVID-19 epidemic, including catering business, scheduled premises operators and licensed hawkers, a number of subsidy schemes under four rounds of the Anti-epidemic Fund (AEF) were implemented.  To reduce the risk of virus transmission in making payments, the Department launched the second round of subsidy scheme for the promotion of contactless payment in public markets under the AEF and extended the scope to cover licensed hawkers. The Department also assisted in the implementation of the Government's measures to waive or reduce licence fees and market rentals.

The Department continued to assist in providing COVID-19 testing service for those working in catering premises, markets, Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse and cold stores, as well as hawkers; and encourage them to vaccinate.

As part of the Government's overall strategy to prevent the importation of COVID-19 virus through imported frozen foods, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has been collecting samples of different types of frozen foods and their packaging at the import level for precautionary COVID-19 testing since mid-2020.  As at the end of 2021, over 25 000 samples of imported frozen food and their packaging from 60 countries / regions had been taken for testing.

Environmental Hygiene

Public Markets and Cooked Food Centres

To provide the public with more choices for fresh provisions, the Department is working with other departments to take forward six new public market projects, which are at different stages of planning, in Tin Shui Wai, Tung Chung Town Centre, Tseung Kwan O, Tung Chung New Town Extension, Kwu Tung North New Development Area (NDA), and Hung Shui Kiu/ Ha Tsuen NDA. Since it takes time to build permanent markets, the Department has set up the Skylight Market in Tin Shui Wai and its operation has been satisfactory so far.  The Department is also setting up a temporary market at Fu Tung Street near Tung Chung MTR Station, which is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Besides, the Department is pressing ahead with the overhaul of Aberdeen Market, which is the first project of the Market Modernisation Programme (MMP). Works commenced in the second half of 2021, and the overhauled Market is expected to commence operation in early 2023.  The Department is also carrying out preparatory and consultation work for the other overhaul or redevelopment projects, and taking forward minor refurbishment and improvement works in some markets under the MMP.

Hawker management

By mid July 2021, all 435 vacant fixed hawker pitches identified for re-allocation had been allocated to eligible applicants.

Public toilets

The Government allocated about $600 million to carry out refurbishment or facelifting works for about 240 public toilets of the Department, so as to improve their installations and the level of hygiene. This is done in phases over a period of five years starting from 2019/20. Works had started for over 140 public toilets in the first three financial years (i.e. from 2019-20 to 2021-22), and will be rolled out to more than 110 other public toilets in the two financial years that follow (i.e. from 2022-23 to 2023-24).

To ensure that public toilets are kept clean at all times, the Department employs attendants to station at those with high usage or located in tourist spots to provide immediate cleansing services, in addition to regular deep cleansing operations.  To improve the hygiene of public toilets and boost the quality of management and service, the Department has introduced several trial schemes that make use of technology, such as smart toilet system, Nano Plasma Driven Catalysis air purification technology, Nano Confined Catalytic Oxidation technology and ozonated water technology.

Rodent prevention and control

The Department conducted two phases of a territory-wide campaign, and two other rounds of operation in target areas to strengthen rodent prevention and control work at the district level. In 2021, the Department filled more than 17,840 rat holes, collected 67,182 dead rodents (33,846 trapped and 33,336 poisoned) and handled 11,102 complaints.

The Department tried out an enhanced version of its anti-rodent operations at designated target areas in Sham Shui Po, Wan Chai and Yuen Long. The scope of rodent control and the coverage of the target areas were expanded, and large-scale and targeted anti-rodent operations were conducted in areas more prone to be affected by rodent infestation, including public markets and municipal services buildings, hawker bazaars and rear lanes adjacent to food premises. The special operations concluded with fruitful results.

Mosquito prevention & control

The All-out Anti-mosquito Operation was carried out from 12 April 2021 until the end of the rainy season, with a view to eliminating potential mosquito breeding places and minimising the density of adult mosquitos. An inter-departmental Anti-mosquito Campaign was launched in three phases in 2021.

Starting from January 2021, the number of areas covered by the dengue vector surveillance programme has been increased to 64.

C&C services, Green Burial and Private Columbaria

By the end of 2021, over 8,080 persons had signed up on the Green Burial Central Register.

Lai Chi Yuen Columbarium at Mui Wo, Lantau Island was commissioned on 1 January 2021, providing 790 standard extendable niches to indigenous villagers or bona fide residents of the Islands District who have been living there continuously for not less than seven years, or their minor children. Besides, Tsang Tsui Garden of Remembrance (GoR) was commissioned on 1 March 2021 for members of the public to scatter cremated ashes. The Garden of Forever Love at Cape Collinson Columbarium, which accommodates abortuses, was commissioned on 19 August 2021.

During the year, the Private Columbaria Licensing Board approved two licence applications, approved in principle another licence application and 22 applications for temporary suspension of liability, and refused specified instruments applications from 3 private columbaria. As at end 2021, 223 applications for specified instruments submitted by 92 private columbaria were being processed by the Licensing Board.

Food Safety

Food surveillance and risk assessment

The CFS takes food samples at different stages of the supply process, from import and manufacture to wholesale and retail, for testing. In 2021, about 66,300 food samples were tested. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent, which was comparable to the results in recent years. Food safety has been maintained at a high standard in Hong Kong.

The CFS released the results of several risk assessment projects, namely "Hexabromocyclododecanes in Food", "Ergot alkaloids in food", "Microbiological Quality of Roast Meats when They are Kept at Ambient Temperature for a Prolonged Period of Time", and a joint study with the Consumer Council on "Sodium, Sugar, Fat and Energy Contents in Local Vegetarian Dishes".

Food Standards

The Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2021 (the Amendment Regulation) was published in the Gazette on 11 June and passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo) on 14 July. The Amendment Regulation strengthens the regulation of three types of mycotoxins, i.e. aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol (also known as vomitoxin) and patulin, in food, as well as sets or updates the maximum levels for five other harmful substances (i.e. benzo[a]pyrene, glycidyl fatty acid esters, melamine, 3-monochloropropane-1, 2-diol and erucic acid) in edible fats and oils, condiments or formula products intended for infants. The Amendment Regulation also specifies partially hydrogenated oil (PHO), i.e. the main source of industrially produced trans fatty acids (IP-TFAs), as a prohibited substance in food. The provisions relating to PHO will come into operation on 1 December 2023, and the other provisions stipulating the maximum levels of other harmful substances in food will come into operation on 1 June 2023.

Along with the above-mentioned Amendment Regulation, the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment) Regulation 2021 was also published in the Gazette on 11 June, passed by LegCo in July and will take effect on 1 December 2023. It stipulates that any prepackaged food containing hydrogenated oils, e.g. fully hydrogenated oil, must be indicated accordingly in the list of ingredients.

Risk Communication

To echo the World Food Safety Day, the CFS kick-started its year-round Food Safety Day campaign in early June 2021 with "Know Your High-risk Foods" as the theme.

Food Trader Portal

In May 2021, the functions of Food Trader Portal (FTP) were expanded to allow importers to apply for permission to import eggs; report the arrival of food consignments of eggs, meat, poultry and game as well as consignments of other food types imported by air; and handle matters concerning the release of the consignments online.