In 2024, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) continued to uphold the principle of being “people-oriented” and make its best endeavours to improve public health and food safety in Hong Kong, building a livable environment for the public with dedication.
The work of the FEHD is closely related to the daily lives of the public. It provides various public services covering food safety, regulation of restaurants, management of markets, street cleansing, pest control and funeral services.
In 2024, the Department actively took forward a number of key initiatives, including strengthening food import control, adopting new technologies to enhance the efficiency of street cleaning and pest control services, optimising municipal facilities, and continuously enhancing funeral services. Encouraging results were achieved in different areas of work.
Environmental Hygiene
Hygiene Black Spots Elimination
The Government Programme on Tackling Hygiene Black Spots, a cross-departmental collaboration led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, was launched in August 2022. About 730 hygiene black spots were identified in phases, of which about 240 were under the FEHD's purview. With the efforts of various departments, the hygiene conditions of more than 90% of the black spots have considerably improved, achieving the key performance indicator set by the Chief Executive for the Programme in the 2022 Policy Address. The Department will continue to improve and monitor the hygiene condition of the black spots.
To address the environmental hygiene problems caused by illegal deposit of refuse, the Department installed Internet Protocol (IP) cameras at about 470 illegal refuse deposit black spots in various districts to monitor the situation. It also launched a trial scheme in November 2024 to install IP cameras on roads with central dividers in Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po districts. The footage is used to assist in prosecuting drivers who littered. The results of the trial scheme were promising.
Shop Front Extension
To address the problem of illegal extension of business from shops, the Department and the Police mounted more than 1,600 joint enforcement operations, significantly improving the shop front extension problem in a number of districts. The number of complaints about shop front extension has decreased by about 30% compared with 2023.
Rodent Prevention and Control
From 2024 onwards, the Department fully adopted thermal imaging cameras with artificial intelligence technology for conducting the Rodent Activity Survey (RAS), as a replacement for the Rodent Infestation Survey. The findings of the RAS were used to deploy anti-rodent operations, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of rodent prevention and control work. During the year, the Department eliminated around 65% of the priority rodent black spots (a total of 63), achieving the key performance indicator of reducing the number of the black spots by 60% as set in the 2023 Policy Address. This shows the rodent control work of the Department has yielded significant results.
In addition, the Department launched the Anti-rodent Charter for residential premises in 2024 to raise residents' awareness of environmental hygiene and cultivate their good habits, with a view to encouraging the public to actively participate in the routine anti-rodent efforts and work together for a rodent-free environment.
Mosquito Prevention and Control
The Department adopts an integrated approach in the prevention and control of mosquitoes, mainly through improving environmental hygiene, eliminating mosquito breeding places and combining physical, biological and chemical control methods. During the year, the Department continued to conduct a three-phase anti-mosquito campaign in collaboration with relevant departments. A series of operations to remove stagnant water and perform mosquito prevention and control work were conducted in public markets, residential buildings, streets and back lanes, construction sites, vacant land and roadside work sites in all districts.
The Department also proactively applies technologies, such as new mosquito trapping devices, large ultra-low volume (ULV) foggers and large mechanical ULV foggers, in its anti-mosquito work to further enhance the effectiveness.
Licensing
In the first quarter of 2024, the Department expanded the Professional Certification System, which was applicable to light refreshment restaurants and food factories, to cover general restaurants so as to shorten the vetting and approval time. Through the launch of the “Agri enJoy” Scheme, the Department has relaxed the relevant licensing requirements to allow farms engaged in commercial agricultural production to carry out various ancillary activities, including preparation of light meals by non-flame cooking of their self-grown crops.
In addition to the electronic services currently available to applicants and licence/permit holders, the Department started issuing electronic food business and other trade licences/permits in the second quarter of 2024. An animation “DIY application for food business licences” was released in the year to enhance the applicants' understanding of the licence application process.
Public Markets and Cooked Food Centres
The Department is taking forward the Market Modernisation Programme (MMP). Lai Wan Market officially re-opened in March 2024 after an overhaul. Meanwhile, the Department also implements market stall enhancement projects under the MMP. A project of the market stall enhancement pilot scheme, Queen Street Cooked Food Market, officially resumed full operation in September 2024.
Public Toilets
The Department actively takes forward the Enhanced Public Toilet Refurbishment Programme with the Architectural Services Department. As at the end of 2024, full refurbishment or facelifting projects for about 370 public toilets have been rolled out as scheduled, and the works for 162 of which have been completed. The Department has adopted a new air purification technology in 70 public toilets, which effectively decomposes air pollutants and odour molecules through catalysing chemical reactions to remove odour. Besides, the Department is studying the use of motion sensors in accessible unisex toilets to detect users falling down or not moving. The Department will continue to make good use of technologies to improve the environment of public toilets.
Green Burial
In 2024, there were a total of 9,554 green burial cases, which accounted for 18.2% of the total deaths that year, making it the highest proportion of green burials to date.
The Department has rolled out new facilities and services since April 2024, including a commemorative landmark for green burial “To my…” for the public to show respect to their lost loved ones and to post memorial notes; paper ash scatterers used in Gardens of Remembrance to write down thoughts and blessings for the deceased; and floral farewell bags for scattering of cremains at sea.
A new “After-death Arrangements” thematic website was also launched, which sets out every step of the after-death arrangements and encourages members of the public to make proper end-of-life planning. By the end of 2024, about 15,100 members of the public registered their wishes for green burial in the Green Burial Central Register.
Cemeteries and Crematoria Services
Currently, the supply of public niches is adequate. In addition to the comprehensive allocation of public niches once a year, the Department also accepts applications from the public year round for allocation of new niches at Tsang Tsui Columbarium on a monthly basis. In 2024, all eligible applicants were allocated new niches without waiting.
Private Columbaria
In 2024, the Government reviewed the Private Columbaria Ordinance (Cap. 630) and proposed amendments to achieve more effective execution of the regulatory regime on private columbaria. The Private Columbaria (Amendment) Bill 2024 was published in the Gazette on 6 December and subsequently introduced to the Legislative Council for consideration on 18 December.
Food Safety
Import Control Measures on Japanese Food
In response to the Japanese Government's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water, the Department issued a Food Safety Order on 24 August 2023 to prohibit the import of aquatic products, sea salt, and unprocessed or processed seaweed originating from 10 metropolis/prefectures of Japan. The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) conducts comprehensive radiological tests on the radiation level of similar products from other prefectures of Japan to ensure that they meet the guideline levels before allowing them into the market. In 2024, the CFS conducted tests on the radiological level of over 85,000 samples of imported Japanese food. All the samples passed the tests. The CFS will continue its gatekeeping role at the import level in order to safeguard food safety and public health.
Food Surveillance and Risk Assessment
Food safety has all along been maintained at a high standard in Hong Kong. In 2024, the CFS conducted tests on food samples collected at import, wholesale and retail/catering levels. The overall satisfactory rate stood at 99.8%. In addition, the CFS released the first report on sulphites under the Second Hong Kong Total Diet Study in December. The Study aims to assess among the Hong Kong population the health risks associated with the dietary exposure to a range of chemical substances of potential food safety concern. In December 2024, the CFS also announced the results of a risk assessment study titled “Microbiological Quality of Packaged Rice Balls”.
Food Standards
The Preservatives in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2024 (the Amendment Regulation), which stipulates the updated standards for preservatives and antioxidants in food, was gazetted on 10 October 2024 and passed by the Legislative Council in November 2024. The Amendment Regulation aims at keeping local food safety standards on a par with international standards, enhancing consumer protection and facilitating the food trade. The Government has started the legislative review on the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations, with a public consultation exercise launched in December 2024.
Risk Communication
The CFS started its year-round Food Safety Day 2024 campaign in June under the theme “The Jianghu of Cooking: Need to Keep Bacteria at Bay? Safe Temperature is the Way!” to remind the public and the food businesses to pay attention to the proper temperatures for storing and reheating food, thereby preventing foodborne diseases.
Advance Release Arrangement for Hong Kong-Manufactured Food Products Entering the Mainland Market
Following the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China in November 2023, the CFS established the Advance Release Arrangement in May 2024 for eligible Hong Kong-manufactured food products to shorten the time for customs clearance, further enhancing the safety of local food products exported to the Mainland, facilitating trade and promoting the development of local food manufacturing industry. Under the Advance Release Arrangement, food products subject to testing by the Mainland Customs can be released upon completion of sampling without waiting for the results.
Looking ahead, the FEHD will continue to enhance service quality and contribute to the sustained development of Hong Kong with professionalism and an innovative mindset.