FEHD arrests 13 for illegal sale of food

A spokesperson for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced on Tuesday that the department has recently conducted a series of blitz operations throughout the territory targeting hawkers who sell food from unknown sources or expired food products. These operations, along with similar enforcement actions previously carried out in Kwai Chung, have led to the prosecution of a total of 13 individuals to date.

During the latest operations in the Eastern, Kwun Tong, and Kowloon City Districts, the FEHD seized various food items, including sushi, bread, canned goods, bottled soybean milk, packaged milk, and meat.

The department will charge the unlicensed hawkers with offenses such as illegal hawking, causing obstruction in public places, selling restricted food without permission, and selling expired food.

The FEHD spokesperson explained that while the department generally handles cases involving elderly or disabled hawkers with leniency, stringent enforcement actions are taken, including immediate arrests without prior warning, if the sale of food from unknown sources or expired food is involved, due to serious food safety concerns.

The spokesperson emphasized that the FEHD's enforcement actions will continue unabated and warned that no one should defy the law.

Additionally, the spokesperson highlighted the severe food safety risks associated with consuming food from unknown sources and expired food, particularly high-risk items such as meat, sashimi, and sushi.

The public is strongly urged to avoid patronizing illegal hawkers when purchasing any type of food.

Furthermore, the FEHD calls on the public to report any hawkers selling suspicious food to the department for immediate follow-up actions.