VietNamNet Bridge – An action month on food safety will begin this Saturday in all provinces and cities across the country.

An inspector (right) gives leaflet on food safety to a trader in a market in HCM City. An action month on food safety will begin this Saturday in all provinces and cities across the country. – Photo tphcm.chinhphu.vn

The theme is producing, trading and using safe food and preventing liquor poisoning, according to the Viet Nam Food Administration (VFA) under the Ministry of Health.

During the month, six inspection teams will be founded to check food safety in 12 provinces and cities – Ha Noi, Hung Yen, HCM City and Ben Tre, as well as Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dak Lak and Gia Lai, along with Quang Nam,  Da Nang, Ninh Thuan and Phu Yen.

The VFA said the action month would focus on preventing the use of chemical substances and industrial alcohol in producing liquor, preventing the use of banned substances in breeding and using plant protection substances in vegetables and fruits.

In response to the action month, so far, different provinces and cities have conducted measures to ensure food safety and hygiene.

Northern mountainous Lao Cai Province has set up an inspection team to check food safety in 10 communes in Bac Ha, Bat Xat, Muong Khuong, Van Ban and Sa Pa districts.

All the communes are located along the border where ethnic Ha Nhi, Mong and Dao minorities reside, whose awareness on food safety is limited.

The inspection team also gave guidance on food safety to communes’ health stations and took liquor samples from liquor shops for testing.

In the northern province of Ha Nam, during the first three months of this year, 134 inspection teams were founded, which checked nearly 1,500 food enterprises. A total of 975 enterprises adhered to norms related to food safety, 518 others violated the norms and 72 were fined more than VND148 million (US$6,500).

VNS