Get the temperature right to reduce food poisoning risk (with photos)

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (May 26) reminded the public and the food trade to keep food at the proper temperature to minimise the risk of food poisoning.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Food Safety Day 2012, the Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), Mrs Marion Lai, said that although the number of food poisoning outbreaks was low last year, keeping food at an inappropriate temperature was one of the most common causes of such outbreaks at food premises.

She pointed out that promoting appropriate holding temperature could protect public health and avoid food poisoning.

"To ensure food safety, cold food should be kept at or below 4 degrees Celsius, while hot food should be kept above 60 degrees Celsius. Attention should also be paid to the length of time food is kept at room temperature," she said.

To help the food trade incorporate appropriate measures in their day-to-day practices, Mrs Lai said that the CFS and the food trade had jointly developed the Food Safety Charter in 2008. The trade is invited to sign up to the Charter to provide quality services grounded in food safety to Hong Kong people and tourists.

So far, 21 food trade associations and around 2 000 food premises have signed the Charter. A list of these food establishments can be found on the Openrice.com website. A mobile application tool has also been put in place to enable the public to search for food premises that have signed up to the Charter.

Mrs Lai noted that the Food Safety Ordinance, which came into full force on February 1 this year, introduced a food tracing mechanism to help the Government trace the source of problematic products.

"Get the Temperature Right" was the theme of this year's food safety publicity drive, to remind members of the public to observe good food safety practices.

A series of talks will be organised for the public and the trade on food safety issues, covering getting the temperature right, nutrition labelling, avoiding physical hazards in food and other things we need to know about food incidents.

The "Safe Food Gourmet Paradise" photo competition will be held in the second half of this year to encourage greater public participation. Photo entries should display the unlimited variety of high quality and delicious food available in Hong Kong that best describe its international reputation as a "Gourmet Paradise" – a place food safety always comes first.

Also officiating at today's ceremony were the Chairman of the Legislative Council Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Tommy Cheung; the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Clement Leung; and the Acting Controller, CFS, Dr Ho Yuk-yin.

Ends/Saturday, May 26, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:27

The Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), Mrs Marion Lai (fifth right); the Chairman of the Legislative Council Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Tommy Cheung (fifth left); the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Mr Clement Leung (fourth right); and the Acting Controller, Centre for Food Safety, Dr Ho Yuk-yin (fourth left) officiated at the Food Safety Day 2012 opening ceremony today (May 26).

Mrs Lai delivers a speech at the opening ceremony.