Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ17:Supervisions on factory canteens

        Following is a question by the Hon Fred Li and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (March 10):

 

Question:

 

        In accordance with the Food Business Regulation, licensed "factory canteens" may sell or supply meals and drinks only to persons employed in any factory in the factory building where the canteen is located.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

 

(a)    of the number of inspections on factory canteens carried out by the staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in each of the past two years;

 

(b)    of the number of prosecutions, in each of the past two years, against the proprietors of factory canteens for selling or supplying meals to other persons and the penalty imposed on them by the Court; and

 

(c)    given that business has been difficult for many factory canteens in recent years, whether it will consider amending the legislation to relax the restriction on the customers that factory canteens may serve; if it will, of the relevant legislative timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

 

Reply:

 

Madam President

 

(a)    In 2002 and 2003, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) carried out a total of 5,277 and 4,358 inspections at licensed factory canteens respectively. 

 

(b)    As provided under the licensing condition issued by FEHD, a factory canteen can only serve customers who are employees of the factories in the same building in which the factory canteen is located.    Non-compliance with the said condition is not a breach of the provisions in the Food Business Regulation (Cap 132 sub leg) which result in prosecution.  FEHD will, however, issue warnings to the licensees who breach the condition.  Repeated warnings may result in cancellation of licence. 

 

        FEHD's inspections in 2002 did not reveal any breach of the above licensing condition.  In 2003, FEHD issued five written warnings to licensees for non-compliance, but no licence was cancelled.

 

(c)    A licensed factory canteen within an industrial building is intended to serve the factory employees working in the same building.  As such, it is subject to less stringent requirements than restaurants with respect to the size of food room and the provision of sanitary fitments.  To relax the licensing condition on the customers that factory canteens may serve will necessitate consequential changes to the relevant licensing requirements as the number and type of customers is expected to increase and there will be no material difference between a factory canteen so rendered and a general restaurant.  In this connection, it is noted that there are land use restrictions that prohibit the operation of restaurants in factory buildings.  We have therefore no plan to relax the current restriction on the customers that factory canteens may serve. 

 

Ends/Wednesday, March 10, 2004

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