6. Registration Processes

General Foods
Hong Kong

This section provides information on any product notification or registration and manufacturing site registration processes.

6.1 Product Notification

Product notification is not required.

6.2 Product Registration

Product registration is not required.

6.3 Other Notes or Requirements

Product Notification

N/A

Product Registration

N/A

6.4 Manufacturing Site Registration

Restaurants, bakeries, cold stores, factory canteens, food factories, temporary food factories, fresh provision shops, frozen confection factories, milk factories, siu mei and lo mei shops, and composite food shops based in Hong Kong are required to obtain a factory license from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) [1]. Factory licenses [2] are only issued to food premises if they conform to the prescribed safety and hygiene standards laid down by law.

Note: FEHD also issues permits for the sale of restricted foods, such as non-bottled drinks, frozen confections, milk and milk beverages, cut fruit, Chinese herb tea, leung fan, sushi, sashimi, oysters to be eaten in raw state, meat to be eaten in raw state, live fish, shell fish, shell fish (hairy crab) and food sold by means of vending machines, and for operating karaoke establishments in restaurants. Alcoholic beverages are not restricted food, their sale is not required to have an FEHD permit.

Application Procedure

The application should be made by submitting a standard application form (FEHB 94), a declaration on premises in compliance with Government lease conditions (FEHB 192), and 3 copies of a proposed layout plan of the premises (drawn to scale and in metric unit) to Assistant Secretary (Other Licences) of Licensing Office concerned (see Appendix I). 

The standard forms are obtainable from all Licensing Offices and District Environmental Hygiene Offices and can be downloaded from the website of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department at http://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/forms/index_forms.html. 

The application should contain the following:

1. the class of license applied for;
2. full address of the premises under application for a license including the name of the street, number of the premises, name of the building, and the flat number, etc to avoid postal misdelivery;
3. the name, correspondence address, and telephone number of the applicant; if the applicant is a corporation, the name and address of the corporation and the name and home address of the managing director and authorized person;
4. the type of heating equipment and the type of fuel intended to be used; and
5. whether an air-conditioning system is to be installed in the factory; if so, the type and working capacity of such installation.

The application must be signed by the applicant personally. A license may be issued in the name of a person or a corporation. 

The application will be considered by the Licensing Authority, the Fire Services Department, and other Government departments concerned. The applicant must also not start the business before obtaining the license from the Licensing Authority, otherwise, he will be liable to prosecution.

6.4.1 Standard/Rules for Manufacturing Site

This is only applicable to manufacturing sites located in Hong Kong.

There shall be legibly and permanently marked on the outside of every factory, in letters and characters at least 75 mm high, the words “LICENSED FACTORY FOR” and “領有牌照工廠”.

Factory construction

Every factory shall be enclosed, constructed, maintained, and cleansed to the satisfaction of the Authority [1].

Unnecessary articles prohibited in factory

Except with the express permission of the Commissioner, nothing but goods and materials for manufacture shall be brought into a factory [3]. Reference of good material would be: 

1. Floors in kitchens and food rooms should:
   1. be surfaced with non-slippery, light-colored, non-absorbent and easily cleaned and durable materials (e.g. mosaic tiles); 
   2. be coved at the junctions with walls; and 
   3. be sloped towards a floor drain.
2. Carpets and mats made of absorbent materials should not be provided in food rooms, food storage areas, toilets, and other wet areas. The use of duckboards is not allowed.

Manufacture to be wholly within the factory

Goods shall be manufactured wholly within a factory and shall not be removed therefrom until their manufacture is complete, and dutiable goods shall not be removed therefrom except in accordance with a permit or with the written permission of the Commissioner.

Storage

All goods in a factory shall be stored to the satisfaction of the Commissioner and manufactured goods shall be stored apart from unmanufactured goods and dutiable goods shall be stored apart from duty-paid goods.

Manufacturers’ books

In every factory (in Hong Kong) the manufacturer shall, to the satisfaction of the Commissioner, keep and, at least once on any day on which manufacturing is carried out in that factory, make due entry of the particulars prescribed in a stock book and a factory book which shall be in such form as the Commissioner may specify (not defined in the legislation).

6.4.2 Other Notes or Requirements for Manufacturing Site Registration

None.

6.5 References

1. FEHD Guide on Types of Licences Required

https://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/Guide_on_Types_of_Licences_Required.html#:~:text=Restaurants%2C%20bakeries%2C%20cold%20stores%2C,Environmental%20Hygiene%20Department%20(FEHD)

2. A Guide to Application for Food Factory licence 

https://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/howtoseries/forms/new/FF.pdf

3. Food Hygiene Code

https://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/publications/code/code_index.html