Editorial | Hong Kong school trips should be easier on the stomach
Action needed to improve safety of meals after Hong Kong students and teachers on mainland China study tours come down with food poisoning
There was a time when food safety on the mainland often made headlines for the wrong reasons. Thankfully, the situation has improved over time. This is reflected in the positive experience of Hongkongers heading north for dining and entertainment.
It has therefore been puzzling to see a growing number of Hong Kong students and teachers on mainland study tours suffering from food poisoning in recent weeks.
The latest incident involved at least five students from S.K.H. St Michael’s Primary School in Fortress Hill who came down with acute gastroenteritis.
The first case emerged when a student experienced symptoms of the infectious disease, including vomiting, on a bus journey at the end of a trip to Xian in Shaanxi province this month.
Four other students sitting nearby on the bus developed symptoms later. All meals during the trip appeared to be clean, according to the school.
More than 100 students and teachers from eight other schools on various study tours on the mainland have reported suffering from acute gastroenteritis symptoms over the past few weeks. The authorities last Friday set up a task force to respond to the surge of such outbreaks.