Latest news with #FoodAndEnvironmentalHygieneDepartment
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's John Lee defends national security clauses for restaurant licences
Hong Kong's John Lee Ka-chiu has defended the introduction of national security clauses for restaurant licences, saying the new requirements also apply to Lunar New Year fair stalls. Advertisement The city leader said on Tuesday that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had made the decision to help fulfil its legal obligation to safeguard national security. 'When handling new licensing or the renewal of new licences, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will do their work according to the law,' he said. 'The relevant clauses are also in the rental contracts for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department's venues and the issuance of licences, which include Lunar New Year fair stalls and places of public entertainment.' The department earlier said that it was adding national security-related conditions for licences issued under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance to ensure document holders fulfilled their duty of safeguarding national security. Advertisement The policy covers both new licences and those up for renewal.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hong Kong leader says national security scrutiny of restaurants is necessary
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong will toughen screening of catering premises for potential violations of national security, which civil servants should accord top priority in deciding on licence approvals, the city's leader said on Tuesday. Critics see the move as targeting the territory's many businesses, including cafes and restaurants, that have displayed posters, symbols or images expressing solidarity with its embattled pro-democracy movement. Such businesses, widely called the "yellow economic circle", have faced growing pressure from authorities, such as tax inspectors, at a time when they are reeling from a broader economic and retail downturn. "Food and environmental hygiene officers ... should place national security as the most important consideration and make appropriate assessments," John Lee told reporters. He called the move "appropriate and necessary", saying all civil servants were expected to rate security as the highest priority under the national security law. The city's food and hygiene department would follow the law in considering new licences and renewing existing ones, he added. In recent years, authorities in the Asian financial hub have made use of sweeping national security laws imposed after mass anti-government protests in 2019 to systematically crack down on many of its liberal pockets. In May, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department sent letters to thousands of food and entertainment premises, obliging them to accept new terms related to national security. In one document seen by Reuters, the government told business owners to ensure no activity in which they were engaged or involved in "may constitute or cause the occurrence of an offence endangering national security". The former British colony's crackdown on dissent, from arresting democratic activists to shuttering liberal media and civil society groups, has drawn criticism from countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Hong Kong leader says national security scrutiny of restaurants is necessary
HONG KONG, June 10 (Reuters) - Hong Kong will toughen screening of catering premises for potential violations of national security, which civil servants should accord top priority in deciding on licence approvals, the city's leader said on Tuesday. Critics see the move as targeting the territory's many businesses, including cafes and restaurants, that have displayed posters, symbols or images expressing solidarity with its embattled pro-democracy movement. Such businesses, widely called the "yellow economic circle", have faced growing pressure from authorities, such as tax inspectors, at a time when they are reeling from a broader economic and retail downturn. "Food and environmental hygiene officers ... should place national security as the most important consideration and make appropriate assessments," John Lee told reporters. He called the move "appropriate and necessary", saying all civil servants were expected to rate security as the highest priority under the national security law. The city's food and hygiene department would follow the law in considering new licences and renewing existing ones, he added. In recent years, authorities in the Asian financial hub have made use of sweeping national security laws imposed after mass anti-government protests in 2019 to systematically crack down on many of its liberal pockets. In May, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department sent letters to thousands of food and entertainment premises, obliging them to accept new terms related to national security. In one document seen by Reuters, the government told business owners to ensure no activity in which they were engaged or involved in "may constitute or cause the occurrence of an offence endangering national security". The former British colony's crackdown on dissent, from arresting democratic activists to shuttering liberal media and civil society groups, has drawn criticism from countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong private estate pool told to close over fake lifeguard credentials
A swimming pool at a private estate in Hong Kong's Happy Valley has been ordered to close immediately after a lifeguard allegedly used a fake certificate, with the case also being reported to police. Advertisement The incident came to light on Friday after the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department last month implemented a raft of measures to prevent the employment of unqualified lifeguards at private swimming pools. The department checked a batch of lifeguard records with the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society that day and found that the credentials of an attendant who was on duty earlier in the week for the swimming pool at San Francisco Towers did not match official records. Earlier in the week, the department checked a batch of lifeguard records with the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society and found that the credentials of an attendant for the swimming pool at San Francisco Towers did not match official records. 'As the qualification of the life-saving attendant is in doubt and the swimming pool has allegedly failed to provide a sufficient number of qualified life-saving attendants as required by law, the department has ordered the immediate closure of the pool and is considering prosecuting its licensee,' the department said on Friday evening. Advertisement 'The incident has been reported to police, and the [department] has also notified the Property Management Services Authority to take parallel follow-up action.'
South China Morning Post
01-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong pulls Haribo gummies from stores after cannabis taint in Netherlands
Hong Kong's food safety watchdog has instructed businesses to temporarily remove Haribo's gummy products from shelves as a precautionary measure, following reports from the Netherlands of cannabis contamination in certain batches of the popular sweets and an import suspension by Taiwan. Advertisement In response to the Post's queries, a government spokesman said on Sunday that while there had been no local reports of illness linked to German confectionery Haribo's cola-flavoured gummies, the Centre for Food Safety was taking action due to findings overseas. 'There have been no reports of discomfort among [residents] in Hong Kong from consuming the cola-flavoured gummies,' the statement said. 'However, in response to foreign reports and as a precautionary measure, the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has assisted in notifying the industry to temporarily remove the brand's gummies from shelves.' The government confirmed it would conduct tests on the recalled gummies and continue to monitor the situation. Advertisement 'If any problems are found, corresponding actions will be taken and announcements will be made,' the spokesman added. The Post has contacted Haribo for comment.
