Food Safety Focus (234th Issue, Jan 2026) – Article 1
Keeping Food Safe at the National Games: How We Prepared and Responded
Reported by Dr. Ka-yun LAM, Medical & Health Officer,
Risk Management Section, Centre for Food Safety
Mass sports events bring together a large number of participants, such as athletes, staff and spectators, leading to potential risks for transmission of infectious diseases, including foodborne illnesses. The recently held 15th National Games attracted thousands of participants and hundreds of media representatives in Hong Kong. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) attached great importance to this landmark event with a view to ensuring food safety throughout the Games. To this end, the FEHD implemented a series of preparatory measures. These included the setting up of a governance structure, formulation of a comprehensive Food Safety Preparedness and Response Plan, establishing a Departmental Emergency Coordinating Centre (DECC), conducting a food safety response drill, carrying out menu assessment, organising food safety seminars for related food handlers and personnel, enhancing food surveillance and conducting inspections of related food premises.
Multi-disciplinary governance structure
The FEHD set up a multi-disciplinary Steering Committee on Food Safety, supported by the Food Safety Working Group to plan for and implement relevant measures to uphold food safety for the National Games. The multi-disciplinary team included public health professionals, health inspectors, chemists, scientific officers and officers with expertise in the field of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).
FEHD Food Safety Preparedness and Response Plan and the Departmental Emergency Coordinating Centre
The FEHD formulated the Food Safety Preparedness and Response Plan with an aim to ensure food safety during the event and effectively prevent and control potential food incidents. As outlined in the Plan, the FEHD established the DECC, which was the information hub responsible for collecting, analysing and disseminating food safety information to relevant stakeholders. It served as the liaison point for coordination with government agencies in a timely manner. The DECC operated throughout the entire event period and collated returns on event-related food safety issues on a daily basis.
Exercise “Moon Greeting”
To enhance the coordination and preparedness of the department in handling potential food safety emergencies during the events, a food safety response drill, codenamed “Moon Greeting”, was conducted. The drill simulated a food complaint and poisoning case involving related personnel during the Games. Upon receiving the report, the FEHD fully activated the DECC in accordance with the Food Safety Preparedness and Response Plan, conducted investigations at the relevant food premises and implemented control measures to safeguard food safety. The drill tested the operating mechanisms of the DECC and its inter-departmental communication capabilities. Some 30 officers from the FEHD, the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) participated in the exercise.
Photo: The FEHD conducted a food safety response drill on 3 October 2025, codenamed “Moon Greeting”, to enhance the department's co-ordination and preparedness in handling potential food safety emergencies during the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games. Photo shows the staff members participating in the drill.
Developing safe menus and conducting capacity-building food safety briefings and seminars
To identify, evaluate and control potential food safety hazards, the FEHD assessed and provided advice from a food safety perspective on the menus of related hotels and food premises. General advice, as well as specific advice from microbiological and chemical perspectives on the menus, was provided to related hotels and food premises to mitigate the risk of food poisoning.
Apart from providing advice on the menus, the FEHD also held capacity-building food safety briefings and seminars for event-specific catering service personnel. The content covered food poisoning prevention and control, food safety advice and good hygiene practice. A total of eight food safety briefings and seminars were held, with more than 200 food handlers and managers participating.
Enhancing food surveillance and conducting inspections
In addition, the FEHD enhanced surveillance for the event by collecting samples from relevant food caterers and suppliers for chemical and microbiological testing, so as to assess the safety of food produced by participating catering establishments and implement prompt remedial measures if any issues or risks were identified. There were a total of 760 samples collected for testing and no unsatisfactory result was recorded.
Furthermore, the FEHD also conducted inspections at event-related hotels, designated food delivery services caterers, food premises within the competition venues and licensed food premises near the competition venues for the events. These operations contributed to safeguarding the food safety standard and compliance with good hygiene practices of related food premises.
Conclusion
Through these concerted efforts from all relevant parties, there was eventually “zero food safety incident” for the event. The preparation for this significant event also provided invaluable experience to continue to enhance our preparedness for future mass events.