1.	Food handlers should receive proper training to enable them to prepare sandwiches properly and prevent contamination of sandwiches. The most important points are: wash hands with a correct hand washing method (and change disposable gloves properly) at appropriate times, and forbid personnel with gastrointestinal infections or carriers of gastrointestinal infections from handling food.
2.	Frozen ingredients should be thawed in a refrigerator at 4oC or below or under cool and running municipal water. Thawed ingredients should be used as quickly as possible and should not be held at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
3.	All raw ready-to-eat vegetables should be washed thoroughly and, as far as possible, in a sink exclusive for this use. If disinfectants are used to process vegetables, they should be purchased from reputable suppliers, and food handlers should follow manufacturersˇ¦ directions for correct mixing of disinfectants. In addition, the disinfectant levels should be monitored and controlled to ensure that they are maintained at effective concentrations and to minimise safety hazards.
4.	Ready-to-eat and non ready-to-eat foods must be handled with separate sets of utensils, containers, and chopping boards, etc, in order to minimise the chance of cross contamination.
5.	Ingredients (e.g. eggs, chicken, beef) which require cooking or reheating must be thoroughly cooked or reheated.
6.	All sauces and fillings for the production of sandwiches must be properly handled, especially mayonnaise or sauces containing mayonnaise and canned fish meat. Once the package is opened, it should be stored under refrigeration and consumed as soon as possible.
7.	Keep only appropriate amount of sandwich fillings on preparation counter. Sandwich fillings should be covered and stored at 4oC or below.
8.	All finished products that are not consumed immediately should be kept at 4oC or below if they are to be served cold. If they are to be served hot, they should be kept at 60oC or above. Under no circumstances should they be kept at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
9.	All pre-packaged food should be labelled with information such as ˇ§use-byˇ¨ date, storage instruction, etc. Please refer to Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations, Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Cap. 132 for further details.
10.	All equipment and utensils must be clean and maintained properly.

1.	Finished products should be transported, distributed and displayed properly at 4oC or below in order to protect them from contamination and deterioration.
2.	Where possible, transportation, distribution and display units of finished products should be equipped with accurate and reliable temperature control and monitoring devices.
3.	To prevent deterioration, the distribution and sale of finished products should be carried out in a first-in-first-out basis.
4.	Appropriate and adequate chillers and freezers should be available in authorised retail outlets selling sandwiches.

A preventive food safety management system (such as the HACCP) should be established to ensure that effective control measures are in place to minimise potential chemical, physical or microbiological (e.g. pathogens) contamination of the products during the manufacturing process.

For related information, please contact the Communication Resource Unit, FEHD.
Telephone :  2381 6096
Address : 8/F, Fa Yuen Street Municipal Services Building, 123A Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon.