Hong Kong is famously known as the 'culinary capital of Asia', however, it has long been lacking a food hygiene standard for local catering establishments. To address this issue, PolyU has applied its expertise in food safety to develop the Food Hygiene Standard Certification System (FHSCS), which is first of its kind and tailor-made for local catering establishments. The FHSCS was developed by PolyU’s Food Safety and Technology Research Centre (FSTRC) and officially launched on 28 September. Dr Wong Ka-hing and Dr Leung Ka-sing, both Associate Directors of the FSTRC, explained how the system can enhance food safety standard in Hong Kong.
Why is it necessary to establish the FHSCS?
Although Hong Kong is internationally renowned for its food culture, it has never had a food hygiene standard that can cope with the variety of the Hong Kong- style cuisines on offer. That is partly due to the sheer scope of dishes available, and is also related to the different operation modes of the many small-and medium-sized catering outlets. The FHSCS is tailor-made to cope with the typical characteristics of the local catering industry.
How did you overcome the difficulties in establishing the system?
Besides general food hygiene, the essence of the system is the food process hygiene requirements. We group food products into broad categories based on their basic processing steps, food characteristics, serving conditions and hygiene considerations, coming up with designations such as hot, cold and raw products. Internationally recognised principles will then be applied to identify the hazards and critical control points in food processing, as well as the appropriate control measures.
The resultant FHSCS provides a certification scheme framework, including the Food Hygiene Standard FHS 001:2013. The standard covers all aspects of food hygiene from purchasing, receiving and storage of food raw materials, processing food, serving food products to customers, ensuring environmental and personal hygiene, to maintaining documentation and record keeping. This is a set of comprehensive guidelines for catering establishments.
What sort of establishments will or should be applying for certification under the standard?
The standard can be applied to any kind of dine-in catering establishments in Hong Kong, such as restaurants, canteens, Chinese-style caterers and other catering establishments. When we were developing the overall system, we tested it on different kinds of catering establishments, such as fast food chain stores, congee and noodle eateries and Chinese-style restaurants. The feedback we received, along with inputs from catering, food safety and testing experts, ensure that this certification system is entirely practical.
Has PolyU authorised any certification bodies yet?
The University has authorised SGS Hong Kong Limited as the first certification body to implement the FHSCS. Its role will be to offer documentation reviews, on-site audit assessments and certificate issuance. The implementation of the FHSCS will help enhance food hygiene and safety standards, thereby facilitating the long-term development of the catering industry.