Four women held in Lok Ma Chau lunchbox crackdown
HK01 · 4 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Police and officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department carried out a joint operation in the Lok Ma Chau area on November 2 and arrested four local women over suspected unlicensed sale of boxed meals. Officers seized about 800 lunchboxes and 1,000 canned or bottled soft drinks with an estimated value of about HK$50,000. The women, aged 42 to 48, were suspected of offences related to unlicensed hawking and obstruction in a public place, and the seized food and drinks were taken away by the department for a court application for forfeiture. Police said the meals had been left by the roadside under intense sun and sold to nearby construction workers, creating serious food safety and hygiene risks.
Key Points
- The joint enforcement action was conducted by the Border District crime unit and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers in Lok Ma Chau on November 2.
- The four arrested women were local residents aged between 42 and 48, and were detained on Ku Chun Road in the Lok Ma Chau area.
- Officers seized about 800 lunchboxes and 1,000 soft drinks, with the haul estimated to be worth around HK$50,000.
- The suspects are to be prosecuted under unlicensed hawking provisions in Cap. 132 and obstruction provisions in Cap. 228.
- The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department removed the food and drinks and will apply to the court for a forfeiture order.
Why It Matters
The case underlines the public health risks tied to informal food sales near outdoor worksites, where meals may be exposed to heat and roadside conditions before being eaten. For Hong Kong workers and employers, enforcement against unlicensed lunchbox sales could affect how site staff obtain low-cost meals during the workday.