FOREWORD - fehd.gov.hk

1 Food Hygiene Code FOREWORD This Food Hygiene Code (the Code ) is the first of its kind ever published by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is dedicated to operators of food business and law enforcement officers of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Licensing Authority of food premises. Its main purpose is to help food business understand the ways and means to meet the standards and objectives identified in the provisions made under section 56 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Chapter 132. It also helps law enforcement officers determine if compliance with these standards and objectives has been achieved, with a view to enhancing consistency in the interpretation and enforcement of these standards.

2 In developing this Code, reference has been made to similar Codes issued by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the Canadian Food Inspection System Implementation Group, and the United States Food and Drug Administration. We will be revising this Code from time to time, and revisions will be issued either as a supplement or a new edition having regard to the extent of revision. An up-to-date version will be posted on FEHD s website: We welcome comments or suggestions from all interested parties and individuals, which may be addressed to us by letter, facsimile or e-mail as follows: Licensing Section Headquarters Division Food and Environmental Hygiene Department 45/F, Queensway Government Offices 66 Queensway Hong Kong Facsimile : 2530 1368 E-mail Address : Enquiry Tel.

3 No. : 2867 5580 or 2867 5074 Food and Environmental Hygiene Department November 2007 FOREWORD I Food Hygiene Code CONTENTS Page I II CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Scope of 2 CHAPTER 2 GENERAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF FOOD PREMISES Licensing of Food 5 Kitchens and Food 6

4 Walls and 6 7 Floor 8 Water 8 Handwashing 9 Scullery Toilet 10 Sewage and Waste Water 11 Grease 11 Waste 12 13 15 16 Contents II Food Hygiene Code CHAPTER 3 CLEANING, SANITIZING AND MAINTENANCE OF FOOD PREMISES, EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS Premises and Physical Facilities.

5 17 The Premises (Other than Food Rooms and Kitchens).. 17 Kitchens and Food 19 Water 21 Handwashing 21 Scullery 22 Toilet 23 Sewerage and 25 Grease 25 Waste Storage and 26 Ventilating Systems in Kitchens and Food 27 Ventilating Systems in Restaurants and Factory 28 Equipment, Utensils and 29 Equipment and 29 34 Pest 36 Signs of Pest Prevention and Control of Pest 37 CHAPTER 4 SAFE FOOD HANDLING Food 40 Approved 40 Prohibited 42 Food 42 42 Product Food 44 Contents III

6 Food Hygiene Code Food 45 46 Hot 47 Cooling after 47 Reheating of 48 Preventing Food from 48 Food Displaying and 49 Time as a Safety 52 Food 53 Food 54 Food 55 CHAPTER 5 PERSONAL HEALTH, HYGIENE AND TRAINING OF FOOD HANDLERS Personal Health and 56 56 Personal 57 Personal 59 Training of Food 60 Awareness and 60 Training 61 62 CHAPTER 6 MISCELLANEOUS Approved 63 Deviation from Approved Layout 63 Extension of Food Business and Restriction on the Use of Open 64 Extension of Food 64 Restriction on the Use of Open 65 Contents IV

7 Food Hygiene Code Quality of Water for Keeping Live Marine Fish and / or 65 Control of Water 65 Filtration and Disinfection Facilities for Fish Tank Prohibition of Animals on Food 67 Napkins for 68 Prevention of Spread of Avian 69 Sale of Mainland-Imported Chilled Chickens in Fresh Provision Shops or Market Stalls Selling Live 73 Sale of Imported Chilled 75 Maintenance of Siu Mei and Lo Mei 75 Glass 75 Paraphernalia for Storage or Sale of Siu Mei and Lo 75 Permission for Sale of Other Foods in Siu Mei and Lo Mei 76 Permission for Storage of Fresh Meat in Siu Mei and Lo Mei 76 Exhibition of Licence and 76 Keeping of Inspection 77 Checklist for 77 ANNEXES Annex I A Suggested Cleaning Annex II Maintenance Record on Filtration and Disinfection Facilities for Water for Keeping Live Marine Fish and / or 79 Annex III Food Premises Self-Inspection 80 Annex IV Essential Precautionary Measures against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) for Food 82 APPENDICES.

8 REFERENCE MATERIALS Appendix I How to Read the Food 83 Appendix II How to Select and Use a Food 85 Appendix III Guidelines for Design of Food Service Machines and Food Utensil Washing 90 Appendix IV General Principles in Prevention of Bacterial Food 93 Appendix V Common and Important Types of Food Poisoning in Hong 97 Contents V Food Hygiene Code CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose The objective of this Code is to provide a set of model requirements to help food business achieve a higher degree of compliance with the food regulations as enshrined in the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Chapter 132, and its subsidiary legislation, and attain a higher standard of food hygiene and food safety through adoption of good practices.

9 It also provides law enforcement officers of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and persons engaged in food business a common set of comprehensive advice and guidance on the application of the relevant regulations and recommended ways for compliance, with a view to improving consistency in the interpretation and application of the food regulations by all stakeholders. To all intents and purposes, this Code is not a substitute for the food regulations and the licensing requirements and conditions imposed to individual licences. It is also not a stand-alone document, but rather to be used in association with the food regulations as well as the applicable licensing requirements and conditions, so that adherence to the provisions in the Code will make compliance easier and the standard of enforcement more consistent.

10 Furthermore, the Code is not a rigid and inflexible document, as it is not intended to prescribe the exact ways that a food business must do in order to comply with the requirements of specific regulations, licensing requirements or conditions. It may be possible for a food business to demonstrate to a law enforcement officer that it has achieved the same objective a particular provision of the Code is intended to achieve in other ways. Also, failure to observe any provisions of the Code by a food business will not itself render it liable to any criminal proceedings of any kind, but any such failure may, in any proceedings whether civil or criminal including proceedings for an offence under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Chapter 132, be relied upon by any party to the proceedings as tending to establish or to negative any liability which is in question to those proceedings.