VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City lawmakers have demanded better management of food safety amid complaints that many eateries patronised by students, workers and others do not meet hygiene standards.

HCM City lawmakers call for improved food management. - Photo ongbachau.vn

When many of them raised the issue at a session of the city People’s Council yesterday, the director of the Department of Health, Nguyen Tan Binh, admitted food safety was a concern.  

After inspecting kitchens in the city, officials from his department found more than 2,000 meeting safety standards, he said, without elaborating on how many they checked.

Of street eateries, a mere 53 percent meet food safety standards, he said.

His department has 712 teams to inspect 78,000 vehicles that transport livestock and poultry, and so far this year they have found 8,000 hygiene-related violations, he said.  

The chairwoman of the house, Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, told him that students complained to her that city leaders do not know how students eat.

She instructed him to investigate and find out who was responsible for maggots being present in food served in a dorm canteen at the Viet Nam National University – HCM City in June.

The cafeteria was shut down right away.

Binh replied that after the incident his department has been working with the Department of Education and Training to establish quality standards for canteens at university dorms and schools.

Tam said his department should ensure all food in the city is safe rather than just look to prevent food poisoning.

Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said in November and December this year the city would begin to use information technology to track the origin of pork sold in the city.

The project will be carried out at all wholesale markets and five other major markets -- Ben Thanh, Hoa Binh, Thai Binh, An Dong, and Bau Cat -- as well as supermarkets like Sai Gon Coop, Satra, and Vissan.

The project would cover the entire city by next year, he added.

VNS