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CFS announces food safety report for August

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (September 30) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 6 200 food samples tested (including food items purchased online) were found to be satisfactory except for nine unsatisfactory samples that were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.

A CFS spokesman said that about 2 100 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, and about 4 100 samples were taken for chemical and radiation level tests.

The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygiene indicators; the chemical tests included testing for pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others; and the radiation-level tests included testing for radioactive caesium and iodine in samples collected from imported food from different regions.

The samples comprised about 1 500 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; about 600 samples of cereals, grains and their products; about 700 samples of meat and poultry and their products; about 1 300 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; about 700 samples of aquatic and related products; and about 1 400 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).

The nine unsatisfactory samples comprised a choi sum sample and a mango sample detected with pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits, two fresh beef samples found to contain sulphur dioxide, a barbecued pork sample found to contain a colouring matter, Orange II, a pig oviduct sample found with excessive Bacillus cereus, a prepackaged ice cream sample detected with a coliform bacteria count exceeding the legal limit, and two prepackaged ice cream samples detected with total bacterial counts exceeding the legal limit.

The CFS has taken follow-up actions on the above-mentioned unsatisfactory samples, including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items, and tracing the sources of the food items in question, and etc.

The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.

Separately, in response to the Japanese Government’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the CFS will continue enhancing the testing on imported Japanese food, and make reference to the risk assessment results to adjust relevant surveillance work in a timely manner. The CFS will announce every working day on its dedicated webpage (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/daily_japan_nuclear_incidents.html) the radiological test results of the samples of food imported from Japan, with a view to enabling the trade and members of the public to have a better grasp of the latest safety information.

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Hong Kong Customs raids four suspected illicit cigarette sales outlets and suspected illicit cigarette storage centre (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs mounted a territory-wide anti-illicit cigarette enforcement operation for two consecutive days (September 29 and 30) and raided four suspected illicit cigarette sales outlets and one suspected illicit cigarette storage centre in Sham Shui Po, seizing a total of about 1.32 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $5.94 million and a duty potential of about $4.36 million. Seven persons were arrested.
 
Customs officers today (September 30) conducted surprise inspections on cigarette sales outlets in various districts and found two newsstands in Kwai Chung and Tuen Mun, as well as two stores in Kwun Tong and Fanling, selling cigarettes at a price lower than the tobacco duty. Customs officers then took enforcement actions and arrested two men and four women, comprising the newsstand or store owners and employees, aged between 36 and 73.
 
Moreover, during an anti-illicit cigarette operation conducted in Sham Shui Po yesterday (September 29), Customs intercepted a suspicious man and found 1 600 suspected illicit cigarettes in a black plastic bag carried by him. Customs officers then escorted the man to his nearby residence for a search and further seized about 1.3 million suspected illicit cigarettes. After preliminary investigations, Customs believes that this suspected illicit cigarette storage centre was primarily used to supply illicit cigarettes to areas in Sham Shui Po.

Under the amended Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO) which took effect on September 19, cigarettes sold at a price lower than the tobacco duty must be proven to be duty-paid, otherwise the cigarettes are presumed to be duty-not-paid. 
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Customs appeals to retailers not to sell cigarettes from unknown sources. Retailers must stay vigilant against cigarettes with import prices lower than the tobacco duty in order to avoid criminal liability.

Customs reminds retailers and members of the public that under the DCO, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Retailers and members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

           

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Flu jab form allegations denied

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

In response to media inquiries regarding online rumours alleging that the consent form for the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme contains hidden details and that the physical condition of individuals receiving seasonal influenza vaccines might be included in organ donation matching or related research, the Department of Health’s Centre for Health Protection vehemently denied such claims.

The centre today said the allegations are completely unfounded and people should not be misled.

Under the 2025-26 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination (SIV) Programmes, eligible high-risk groups generally need to complete a consent form before receiving free or subsidised SIV through the programmes.

The consent form specifies that the information provided may be transferred to private doctors, the Primary Healthcare Commission, the Hospital Authority, the Government’s agents and 15 healthcare-related statutory boards and councils that the Department of Health provides secretariat support to.

The consent forms also state that the Government may, when necessary, provide personal data obtained to other organisations, including the 15 healthcare-related statutory boards and councils, for the purposes of personal data collection stated in the consent form.

The centre noted that these provisions ensure that the Department of Health can promptly and effectively investigate any rare adverse events that may occur during the SIV programmes, such as enabling the relevant bodies to investigate serious medical incidents involving vaccine recipients.

The department will never use the information for organ donation or research on donor-recipient matching.

Both paper and electronic consent forms are generally destroyed within seven years. The department does not retain the personal data either. This practice fully complies with relevant laws and requirements for protecting personal data privacy.

The centre urged the public not to hesitate about receiving SIV due to rumours. It stressed that vaccination has been scientifically proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications. It also reduces the risks of in-patient admission and mortality due to seasonal influenza.

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DH responds to media enquiries regarding Vaccination Subsidy Scheme consent forms

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

DH responds to media enquiries regarding Vaccination Subsidy Scheme consent forms 
The allegations are completely unfounded. Members of the public should not be misled.
 
The 2025/26 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination (SIV) Programmes comprises four programmes, namely Government Vaccination Programme, Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme, Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme and VSS. Eligible high-risk groups generally need to complete a consent form before receiving free or subsidised SIV through the programmes. The consent form specifies that the information provided may be transferred to private doctors, the Primary Healthcare Commission, the Hospital Authority, the Government’s agents and 15 healthcare-related statutory Boards and Councils that the DH provides secretariat support to. In the past, the consent forms of the SIV Programmes also stated that the Government may, when necessary, provide personal data obtained to other organisations (including the aforementioned 15 healthcare-related statutory Boards and Council for which the DH provides secretariat support) for the purposes of personal data collection stated in the consent form. These provisions ensure that the DH can promptly and effectively investigate any rare adverse events that may occur during the SIV programmes, such as enabling the relevant bodies to investigate serious medical incidents involving vaccine recipients. The DH will never use the information for organ donation or research on donor-recipient matching. Both paper and electronic consent forms are generally destroyed within seven years. The DH does not retain the relevant personal data either. This practice fully complies with relevant laws and requirements for protecting personal data privacy.
 
The CHP urged the public not to hesitate about receiving SIV due to rumours. The CHP stressed that vaccination has been scientifically proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications. It also reduces the risks of in-patient admission and mortality due to seasonal influenza. All members of the public aged six months or above, except those with known contraindications, should receive SIV every year for personal protection. As the saying goes, ‘get vaccinated once a year and sooner is better than later’.
 
For more information on the government-subsidised SIV Programmes, please call the CHP at 2125 2125 or visit the websiteIssued at HKT 23:10

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Meeting on metropolis uni town held

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Working Group on Planning & Construction of the University Town (WG), set up under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis and led by Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, convened its first working meeting today.

The meeting focused on discussing the overall development strategy and specific implementation plan for the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT). WG members discussed the preliminary planning directions of the NMUT’s Hung Shui Kiu site, which endeavours to integrate with nearby, high-end professional services as well as vocational and professional education and training facilities, for joint development.

A research taskforce will be established to conduct field trips to study the successful models of university towns elsewhere, and seek views from experts and academics, in order to ensure that the NMUT’s planning is both forward-looking and practical.

The Chief Secretary emphasised that the development of the NMUT will break away from traditional models, achieving synergistic and integrated development between education and industry, holding immense strategic significance for Hong Kong’s growth.

He pointed out that the NMUT will not only provide development room for the post-secondary education sector, but will also serve as a key engine to advance the integrated development of Hong Kong’s academic excellence and industry.

It will also realise the promotion of industrial development through education, he added.

Furthermore, Mr Chan said the WG will adopt innovative thinking to formulate suggestions for the Northern Metropolis University Town Development Conceptual Framework, the university town’s development model, and the construction of facilities. It will also study the strategies for attracting leading universities and research institutes to establish a base in Hong Kong in order to attract world-class scholars and outstanding students, with a view to facilitating Hong Kong’s development into an international education hub.

The WG will later report its work plan to the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis.

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Green bond report released

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today released the Green Bond Report 2025, which sets out the allocation of the proceeds raised from green bond issuances and the expected environmental benefits of the projects financed.

The Government has so far issued green bonds totalling around $240 billion to fund various green projects in Hong Kong.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said the report provides comprehensive information on the projects funded by the Government Sustainable Bond Programme.

He added that to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a regional and international green and sustainable finance hub, the Government’s efforts will be made to accelerate innovative financial development, foster a conducive regulatory environment and build a cross-sector ecosystem by leveraging the city’s strengths in the bond market, green and sustainable finance, as well as fintech.

The proceeds raised by the Government through issuances of green bonds have been fully allocated or earmarked for green projects, including the construction and rehabilitation of trunk sewage rising mains in Cheung Sha Wan, the expansion of North District Hospital and the high performance computer system for the Hong Kong Observatory.

Click here for the report.

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Hong Kong Science Museum’s “2025 The Future Science Prize Exhibition” introduces achievements of laureates (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Hong Kong Science Museum’s “2025 The Future Science Prize Exhibition” introduces achievements of laureates  
The Future Science Prize, regarded as China’s “Nobel Prize”, was established by the Future Science Awards Foundation in 2016. Initiated by a group of scientists and entrepreneurs, the prize presents three awards every year, aiming to give recognition to scientists who have achieved outstanding scientific results in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan, with the goal of inspiring China, the world and the next generation with the spirit of science.

The Life Science Prize laureates of the Future Science Prize this year are Distinguished Professor at Hebei GEO University, Ji Qiang, and Research Fellows at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xu Xing and Zhou Zhonghe. They are awarded for their discoveries of fossil evidence for the origin of birds from dinosaurs. The Physical Science Prize is awarded to Research Fellow at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fang Zhong; the William M. W. Mong Professor of Nanoscience and Chair Professor of Department of Physics at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Dai Xi; and the Chair Professor of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ding Hong, for their contributions to the computational prediction and experimental realisation of topological electronic materials. Semiconductor scientist, Lu Chihyuan, receives the Mathematics and Computer Science Prize for his innovations and leadership in advancing non-volatile semiconductor memory technologies, including cell density, device integration, and data resiliency.
 
Interactive exhibits are on display to enrich visitors’ understanding of the achievements of laureates over the years. “The Game of Life: Stem Cells Edition” showcases the scientific achievements of 2024 the Life Science Prize Laureate, Deng Hongkui, who converted somatic cells into chemically induced pluripotent stem cells using small chemical molecules. The “Resistance Simulator” compares the resistances of copper, iron and superconductor at different temperatures to illustrate the research accomplishments of 2023 the Physical Science Prize Laureates, Zhao Zhongxian and Chen Xianhui, and demonstrate the properties of metals and superconductors. At the “AI Image Recognition Contest”, visitors can experience the achievements in image recognition with the technique developed by 2023 the Mathematics and Computer Science Prize Laureates, He Kaiming, Sun Jian, Ren Shaoqing and Zhang Xiangyu. The exhibition also highlights the outstanding contributions of Hong Kong laureates over the years through videos.
 
In addition, the HKScM will organise the Science Symposiums on October 24 and 25, where world-renowned scientists will share scientific discoveries on cutting-edge topics. The laureates of this year will have a dialogue with the youth at the Hong Kong Space Museum on October 26 to interact and share with teenagers.  
 
The exhibition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Future Science Awards Foundation and the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, jointly organised by the HKScM, the Future Science Awards Foundation and the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, and funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission. For details of the exhibition and activities, please visit the website at hk.science.museum/en/web/scm/exhibition/fsp.htmlIssued at HKT 19:50

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