Hong Kong – FEHD strives to crack down on sale of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat (with photo)

Jun 27, 2024 | International

FEHD strives to crack down on sale of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat (with photo)

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     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has long been committed to combating the sale of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat, and raided a licensed fresh provision shop (FPS) in North District suspected of selling frozen meat as fresh meat today (June 27).   
      
     During the operation, FEHD officers raided a licensed FPS in the market of the Queens Hill Shopping Centre in Fanling, and marked and sealed about 206 kilograms of suspected frozen beef for further investigation. A beef sample was also collected for detection of preservatives. Prosecution will be initiated if sufficient evidence is collected. The licensee of the FPS is suspected of breaching the licensing condition for the display and sale of frozen meat as fresh meat, and the FEHD is proceeding with the cancellation of the FPS’s licence.
      
     FEHD officers also initiated prosecution against the operator of the FPS for dirtiness of the premises. A verbal warning was also given for non-compliance with the relevant licensing condition for failing to provide delivery notes for inspection. 
      　
     A spokesman for the FEHD said, “The selling of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat breaches the licensing condition and causes food safety problems. The operation of these profiteers is unfair to other shops that comply with the requirements.”
      　
     The spokesman added, “Anyone selling chilled or frozen meat without permission commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months’ imprisonment on conviction. The department will continue to conduct regular inspections at licensed FPSs and market meat stalls, and will actively handle the complaints received. In detecting any irregularities, the FEHD will carry out immediate investigations and take appropriate enforcement action. In addition, the FEHD also proactively investigates suspected violations from time to time, and conducts surprise inspections and enforcement action as necessary. If there is sufficient evidence, prosecution will be initiated and follow-up action will be taken against the breach of licensing conditions or tenancy agreements. The licences of FPSs breaching the licensing conditions may be cancelled, while the tenancies of market meat stalls breaching the tenancy agreements may be terminated.”    

     The spokesman stressed that the FEHD is very concerned about the situation, and has been committed to combating the sale of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat by taking stringent enforcement action against the violations.

Airbnb to crack down globally on New Year’s Eve parties

Dec 10, 2022 | Business

Key Takeaways

– Airbnb New Years Eve crackdown will see ban on some guests making one-night NYE bookings in 11 countries.

– It is estimated that defenses contributed to 56% drop in NYE party incident rates, as 340,000 people encountered these defenses last year.

WEBWIRE –

Today, were announcing heightened rules and technologies aimed at helping to stop unauthorized parties over New Years Eve in 11 countries, following a successful trial last year.

We know the overwhelming majority of guests are respectful neighbors and travelers, and that the vast majority of Hosts share their homes responsibly. Equally, we are committed to reducing instances of unauthorized parties and helping Hosts protect against neighborhood disruption, and certain times of year, like New Years Eve, can attract a higher risk of unauthorized or disruptive parties.

To that end, we are introducing restrictions on certain types of bookings over New Years Eve. These restrictions will see a ban on one-night bookings of entire home listings for guests without a positive account history or no previous bookings at all on the platform. Were also introducing tighter restrictions for those same guests who try to book two- and three-night reservations, with an emphasis on attempts to book locally.

The restrictions will be in effect over the New Years Eve weekend in 11 countries, including the US (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, the UK, and new for 2022 Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Naba Banerjee, Director of Trust Product and Operations at Airbnb, said, Stays take place across the world each night on Airbnb, with the overwhelming majority of guests and Hosts being respectful of neighbors and delivering benefits to their local community. These proactive defenses will help to promote responsible travel and help to prevent rare instances of unwelcome behavior, and enable Hosts, guests and communities to enjoy their end of year celebrations with added reassurance.

This wider roll out follows the successful trial of these automated defenses in eight countries over NYE last year as part of our efforts to help enforce our global ban on parties, which we codified earlier this summer. We estimate that the measures have contributed to a year-over-year global drop in rates of party incidents over NYE of roughly 56 percent, since the defenses were first piloted in 2020. Last year, approximately 340,000 guests globally were blocked or redirected from attempting to book on Airbnb over NYE, including more than 120,000 guests in the US, over 34,500 guests in the UK, and almost 13,000 guests in Australia1.

Since piloting these restrictions for the first time for NYE 2020, theyve become a cornerstone of our commitment to tackle disruptive parties and neighborhood nuisance, and have been well-received by our Host community.

Were continuously exploring further opportunities around the world to introduce these types of initiatives, and build on our existing measures and resources to promote responsible travel on Airbnb and enforce our anti-party stance. These measures include:

  • The launch of reservation screening technology, which blocks certain bookings that show an increased risk for disruptive parties and property damage
  • A free noise sensor offer for Hosts in partnership with property tech company Minut
  • The codification of our global party ban
  • The expansions of our Neighborhood Support Line for local communities, and our 24-hour safety line for Hosts and guests to directly reach our Safety team for support
  • Tips for Hosts on preventing parties in their listing.
  1. Based on internal Airbnb data.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, Hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.