Author Archives: hksar gov

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on March 12 to noon today (March 13), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 90 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 122 142 samples of food imported from Japan (including 80 127 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 28 178 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 13) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly p… read more

     The Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene has ordered a general restaurant in Yuen Long to suspend business for 21 days, as the licensee repeatedly breached the Food Business Regulation (FBR) by storing equipment and utensils in open space, extending the business area illegally and failing to store open food properly.
             
     The restaurant, located at Shop 6 on the ground floor of Wan Hing Building on 65 Kin Yip Street, was ordered to suspend business from today (March 13) to April 2.
             
     “Four convictions for the above-mentioned breaches were recorded against the restaurant licensee between October 2020 and November last year. A total fine of $11,650 was levied by the court, and 30 demerit points were registered against the licensee under the department’s demerit points system. The contraventions resulted in a 14-day and a seven-day business suspension to be executed consecutively,” a spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said.
             
     The licensee concerned had a record of two convictions for storing equipment and utensils in open space and illegal extension of the business area in September 2019 and October 2020. A total fine of $1,600 was levied, and 15 demerit points were also registered, leading to a seven-day licence suspension during December 2020 and January 2021.
             
     The spokesman reminded licensees of food premises to comply with the FBR, or their licences could be suspended or cancelled.
                 
     Licensed food premises are required to exhibit their licence and a sign at a conspicuous place of the premises, indicating that the premises have been licensed. A list of licensed food premises is available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/licence-foodPremises-search.html). read more

     â€‹The opening ceremony of the International Hydrogen Development Symposium 2025, organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and co-organised by the China Hydrogen Alliance, was held today (March 13) at the Hong Kong Science Park, with distinguished guests including the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Ye Shuiqiu; the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan; the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong; the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying; the Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Ms Alpha Lau; and the Secretary General of the China Hydrogen Alliance, Mr Liu Wei.

     Delivering an opening address at the symposium, Mr Tse stated that as the world moves toward achieving carbon neutrality, the world will continue to push for green transformation in the following decades, leading to a significant demand for green energy and innovative low-carbon technologies. Among these, hydrogen energy stands out due to its clean nature, high transportability, and remarkable energy efficiency. He pointed out that, leveraging its distinctive advantage of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, Hong Kong is well-positioned not only to adopt the technologies and products locally for green transformation but also to serve as a demonstration hub for hydrogen and other green technologies for other parts of the world. As an international financial centre, Hong Kong can further assist the green transformation of various regions and enterprises by providing green financing and professional services.

     In his welcome speech, Mr Poon shared that hydrogen has emerged as a pivotal player in achieving global decarbonisation goals. Aligning with the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong announced in 2024, the Government is proceeding with the legislative amendments to the Gas Safety Ordinance to ensure the safe use of hydrogen as fuel. He also thanked the 27 supporting organisations and more than 70 speakers for their contributions and support to the symposium.

     The symposium is being held today and tomorrow (March 13 and 14) at the Hong Kong Science Park. This symposium, being a mega event, attracts over 800 representatives from local, Mainland and overseas government departments, public organisations, professional institutions, and academia. It provides the trade with an interactive exchange platform for sharing the latest technology showcases, engineering solutions, and future trends in the hydrogen industry.

     For details of the symposium, please visit the event website h2symposium.com.

          

     The 15th National Games (NG), to be cohosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, is the highest-level and largest national multisport event in the country. From November 9 to 21, elite athletes from different provinces, municipalities and special administrative regions will converge on the three places to compete for top honours.

     The 15th NG includes 34 competition events and mass participation events. The mass participation events covering 23 sports will be divided into two categories: competition and demonstration. Competition events will cover 19 sports, namely table tennis, badminton, tennis, football, basketball, light volleyball, shuttlecock, roller sports, dragon boating, go, Chinese chess, chess, bridge, Chinese wrestling, orienteering, karate, gateball, modelling and bowling. Demonstration events will cover four sports, namely health qigong, tai chi, dragon and lion dancing, and broadcast gymnastics. The final events of various mass participation games will be held in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao from May to November. Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the activities of the NG in welcoming the event to be held in November.

     In upholding the NG’s ideal of “benefit ordinary people, make a healthy China”, national sports associations or relevant organisations will conduct free-of-charge athlete selections or objective technical tests to assess the skill level of athletes in the selection of eligible athletes to represent the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the mass participation events of the 15th NG.

     Hosting eight NG competition events for the first time, Hong Kong will also stage one mass participation event, which is bowling. Besides being spectators to cheer for the athletes, members of the public will have the opportunity to personally participate in this national mega sports event by competing in the mass participation events on behalf of Hong Kong.

     The athlete selections of the mass participation events are being conducted. The bowling event will be hosted by Hong Kong starting in April. The selection criteria and enrolment details of the mass participation events are available on the LCSD-designated website www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ngames/2025/competitions/participation.html. read more