The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (August 28) announced the results of a seasonal food surveillance project on mooncakes (second phase). The results of about 160 samples tested were all satisfactory.
     
     A spokesman for the CFS said that the first-phase test results on mooncakes were released on August 13. In the second-phase surveillance, the CFS continued to collect samples covering traditional, snowy, ice-cream and other types of mooncakes from various retailers (including online retailers) and food factories for chemical and microbiological tests, and nutrition content analysis.
 
     Chemical tests covered preservatives such as sulphur dioxide and sorbic acid, antioxidants and mineral oil. Microbiological tests covered pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella and coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms. For nutrition content analyses (covering the contents of energy, protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, carbohydrates, sodium and sugars), the samples were tested to see if they complied with the food labelling requirements.
 
      The spokesman reminded people to maintain a balanced diet and avoid excessive eating of mooncakes as they are generally high in sugar and fat. Some types also contain relatively high levels of salt. Eating too much fat will increase the risk of being overweight and obese while dietary sugar intake is a determinant of body weight and dental caries. In addition, excessive sodium intake will increase the risk of developing hypertension, fatal stroke and coronary heart disease.
 
     He advised people to refer to nutrition labels, particularly on the sugar, salt and fat contents, to make a healthier choice. People should avoid mooncake types with high levels of fat or sugar, i.e. containing more than 20 grams of total fat or more than 15g of sugar per 100g of food. As for reducing salt intake, people can choose low-sodium mooncake types, i.e. containing less than 120 milligrams of sodium per 100g of food.
 
     He said that people should consider their health conditions and consume mooncakes in an appropriate amount during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He advised people to share mooncakes with their family members and friends, as this not only enhances the festive atmosphere, but also allows them to taste mooncakes of different flavours and avoid overconsumption.
 
     Members of the public should heed the following points in the purchase, storage and consumption of mooncakes to prevent food-borne diseases:
 
* Buy mooncakes from reliable outlets rather than patronising unlicensed hawkers. Check whether the mooncakes are properly packaged, pay attention to the expiry dates before purchase and eat them before the expiry dates;
 
* Store mooncakes according to the instructions on the package if they are not to be consumed immediately. Keep snowy mooncakes at 4 degrees Celsius or below and ice-cream mooncakes at minus 18 degrees C or below, and consume them as soon as possible after taking them out from the refrigerator;
 
* Use an icebox to carry snowy or ice-cream mooncakes outdoors and consume them as soon as possible;
 
* Wrap mooncakes properly and separate them from raw food when storing in a refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination; and
 
* Maintain good personal hygiene. Wash hands properly with liquid soap and running water before handling and consuming mooncakes.
 
     The spokesman also reminded food traders to adhere to the Good Manufacturing Practice. Other than purchasing food ingredients from reliable suppliers, they should also comply with legal requirements when using food additives.
 
     "Snowy and ice-cream mooncakes, which do not undergo a baking process at high temperature, need to be handled hygienically during processing, transportation and storage to avoid contamination and growth of germs," he said.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following message as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     As Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No.1 has been issued, the Marine Department reminds vessel owners, masters and persons-in-charge of vessels that they should take precautionary measures immediately and properly secure their vessels at safe locations.

     In case of an accident, a report should be made immediately to the Vessel Traffic Centre at 2233 7801.

Attention TV/Radio Announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has announced that the lifesaving services at Golden Beach in Tuen Mun District resumed today (August 28). The lifesaving services at the beach were suspended earlier due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty.

     The Food and Health Bureau today (August 28) invited interested parties to apply for the Research Fellowship Scheme under the Health and Medical Research Fund.
 
     The scheme aims to support researchers or professionals in their early to mid-career, particularly healthcare professionals, to enhance their skills in public health research, in particular public health policy. 
 
     To tie in with the launch of the Government's "Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Hong Kong" and the Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019, higher priority will be accorded to applications which address the preventable or modifiable risk factors for NCDs, namely smoking, alcohol drinking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Subject to the quality of the applications, at least four of the eight awards will be granted to applications which can address the aforementioned four factors for NCDs, with one award in each area.
 
     In addition, as the main purpose of this research fellowship scheme is to equip fellowship awardees with the knowledge and skills to become independent scientists/researchers, starting from this round of application, more emphasis will be put on the training plan by raising the budget ceiling and weighting on assessment of the training programme.
 
     The grant ceiling per award is $1.2 million inclusive of $400,000 for training. Tertiary institutions funded by the University Grants Committee can each nominate up to five fellowship applicants. Each applicant can only submit one application.
 
     The application should cover:
 
* a local or overseas training programme (regular programmes for higher academic qualifications, e.g. Master or PhD degree will not be considered); and
 
* a research project relating to the proposed training programme which could be a small-scale study, preferably with no more than three research objectives. Pilot studies are also welcomed.
 
     Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview. Applications will be subject to peer review. The vetting will take into account the capability of the applicant and his or her performance at the interview, the support by the mentor and administering institution, the importance of the training proposal and its relevance to the proposed research project. The proposed research project will be evaluated on its scientific merit, local relevance, translational potential or value, value for money of the proposals, research ethics and the track record of the applicant.
 
     The closing date for application is 6pm on November 19, 2019. Application guidelines can be downloaded from the website of Research Fund Secretariat. Enquiries can be made by fax at 2102 2444 or by email to rfs@fhb.gov.hk.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (August 28) reminded students to attend school early on the first school day next Monday (September 2) as traffic is expected to be busier than normal.
 
     "Students, especially those attending a new school, should familiarise themselves with the public transport routes to be taken to school and allow more travelling time on the first school day. Students living on the outlying islands or attending schools on the outlying islands should check the ferry schedules, the vessel types to be used and journey times for their intended ferry trips beforehand. Students are also reminded to pay attention to road safety when attending school," a department spokesman said.
 
     Major public transport operators have been reminded to provide adequate public transport services to meet the transport demand on the first school day.
 
     "The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) will closely monitor the traffic situation and public transport services on September 2. The department will maintain close liaison with major public transport operators and relevant government departments. Staff will be deployed at various major locations throughout the territory to observe the traffic conditions and provide on-site information to the ETCC for arranging public transport service enhancement or informing the Police for traffic regulation when necessary," the spokesman added.
 
     More information may be obtained through the following hotlines and websites of major public transport operators:
 

 
     Motorists are advised not to drive to the school areas if possible. Drivers of nanny vans and school buses should not carry excess passengers or leave schoolchildren in vehicles unattended. An escort should be provided on board when serving kindergarten or primary school students. Parents should agree well in advance with schools, operators of nanny vans or school buses on the locations for picking up and dropping off their children.
 
     Members of the public are advised to pay attention to the latest transport and traffic news on radio and television before leaving home. For enquiries, please call the department's hotline at 2804 2600 or the 1823 Call Centre.