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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has issued a pest elimination notice to the management company of Festival Walk after a rat was spotted at a 24/7 Fitness branch in the Kowloon Tong mall.
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A netizen filmed the rat resting on a mat at the gym and posted the video on social media. The department said it received the complaint and sent officers to inspect the gym and mall the same day. No rats were found inside the gym, but potential pest problems were found in the mall area, prompting the notice and advice on rodent prevention.
The department said it is highly concerned about recent social media posts about pest problems at food premises and private properties, and is investigating individual cases. It stressed that rodent infestations at licensed food premises are illegal and will be followed up seriously.
Regarding a rodent incident at a supermarket in Luk Yeung Galleria, the department found poor cleanliness in the food room and has prosecuted the person in charge under the Food Business Regulation, as well as issuing a pest elimination notice. It is also following up on a case of suspected foreign objects found in takeaway food in Tsing Yi.
The department said enforcement cannot replace operators' daily hygiene responsibilities. It has extended the Rodent Elimination Charter to shopping malls, with about 130 mall organisations and groups involving about 8,200 shops participating as of September.
