Food establishment

  1. The design and facilities of food establishments producing sandwiches should comply with the licensing requirements and conditions set forth by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
  2. Food establishments should have a cleaning and sanitation programme in place to monitor and control all equipment, utensils, refrigeration units that have potential impact on the safety of sandwiches.

Raw materials/ingredients

  1. Raw materials and ingredients should only be obtained from reputable source.
  2. An appropriated size canned fish meat should be purchased in accordance with the amount required for the production in order to avoid the formation of histamine in large amount after opening of can which leads to histamine poisoning.
  3. Raw materials / ingredients delivered to a food premises should be inspected.
  4. Personnel responsible for inspection should, as far as practicable,
    • verify that there are no signs of contamination to the raw materials / ingredient or damages to the packaging;
    • verify that chilled/frozen raw materials/ingredients arrive at the appropriate temperature (e.g. frozen items at - 18oC or below; chilled items at 4oC or below) and free from signs of temperature abuse.

Storage of raw materials/ingredients

  1. Raw materials and ingredients should be stored and handled properly to prevent spoilage, contamination and damage. Stocks of raw materials and ingredients should be consumed in a first-in-first-out basis.
  2. Raw materials should be stored at proper temperatures:
    • Frozen items should be stored at - 18oC or below;
    • Chilled items should be stored at 4 oC or below.

Preparation,packing and storage of finished products

  1. Food handlers should receive proper training to enable them to prepare sandwiches properly and prevent contamination of sandwiches. The most important points are: wash hands with a correct hand washing method (and change disposable gloves properly) at appropriate times, and forbid personnel with gastrointestinal infections or carriers of gastrointestinal infections from handling food.
  2. Frozen ingredients should be thawed in a refrigerator at 4oC or below or under cool and running municipal water. Thawed ingredients should be used as quickly as possible and should not be held at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  3. All raw ready-to-eat vegetables should be washed thoroughly and, as far as possible, in a sink exclusive for this use. If disinfectants are used to process vegetables, they should be purchased from reputable suppliers, and food handlers should follow manufacturers' directions for correct mixing of disinfectants. In addition, the disinfectant levels should be monitored and controlled to ensure that they are maintained at effective concentrations and to minimise safety hazards.
  4. Ready-to-eat and non ready-to-eat foods must be handled with separate sets of utensils, containers, and chopping boards, etc, in order to minimise the chance of cross contamination.
  5. Ingredients (e.g. eggs, chicken, beef) which require cooking or reheating must be thoroughly cooked or reheated.
  6. All sauces and fillings for the production of sandwiches must be properly handled, especially mayonnaise or sauces containing mayonnaise and canned fish meat. Once the package is opened, it should be stored under refrigeration and consumed as soon as possible.
  7. Keep only appropriate amount of sandwich fillings on preparation counter. Sandwich fillings should be covered and stored at 4oC or below.
  8. All finished products that are not consumed immediately should be kept at 4oC or below if they are to be served cold. If they are to be served hot, they should be kept above 60°C. Under no circumstances should they be kept at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
  9. All pre-packaged food should be labelled with information such as "use-by" date, storage instruction, etc. Please refer to Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations, Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Cap. 132 for further details.
  10. All equipment and utensils must be clean and maintained properly.

Transportation, distribution and display of finished products

  1. Finished products should be transported, distributed and displayed properly at 4oC or below in order to protect them from contamination and deterioration.
  2. Where possible, transportation, distribution and display units of finished products should be equipped with accurate and reliable temperature control and monitoring devices.
  3. To prevent deterioration, the distribution and sale of finished products should be carried out in a first-in-first-out basis.
  4. Appropriate and adequate chillers and freezers should be available in authorised retail outlets selling sandwiches.

Summary

A preventive food safety management system (such as the HACCP) should be established to ensure that effective control measures are in place to minimise potential chemical, physical or microbiological (e.g. pathogens) contamination of the products during the manufacturing process.

Enquiry

For related information, please contact the Communication Resource Unit.
Telephone :  2381 6096
Address : Room 401, 4/F, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Nam Cheong Offices and Vehicle Depot, 87 Yen Chow Street West, Kowloon