Anyone can be fooled into eating sow meat disguised as beef.

"The recent discovery of sow meat being sold as beef continues to shock consumers because perhaps we've all eaten it at some point," said Ms. Ly Kim Chi, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Beverage Association (FFA), at the "Unlocking Purchasing Power, Stimulating Consumer Demand" workshop organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper on the morning of May 22nd.

Ms. Ly Kim Chi - President of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Beverage Association (FFA) - spoke at the seminar "Unlocking Purchasing Power, Stimulating Consumer Demand".

PHOTO: INDEPENDENT

According to Ms. Ly Kim Chi, everyone has eaten at street food stalls many times, so they all run the risk of consuming sow meat that has been fraudulently passed off as beef. This is not the first time; in the past, authorities have repeatedly discovered contaminated, fake, and substandard food.

"As the Chairwoman of FFA, I am pleased to announce that in the past period, none of our members have been involved in the issue of counterfeit, dirty, or substandard goods. However, I must also honestly say that the biggest challenge for the business community is not how to produce good, high-quality products, but how to maintain consumer trust in the context of rampant counterfeit and fake goods. The business community faces immense pressure regarding input costs, rapidly increasing raw material prices, taxes, and fees… With such a burden, how can legitimate businesses compete with counterfeit, imitation, and substandard goods? Furthermore, recently, substandard and counterfeit goods have flourished on online channels. We must find ways to address this inadequacy and create a fair competitive environment among all economic sectors," Ms. Chi said.

We need to develop new, modern, fair, and transparent food safety laws.

PHOTO: INDEPENDENT

The head of the FFA (Foreign Trade Authority of Vietnam) stated passionately: "I'm in this industry, and frankly, the market management sector alone cannot manage this. Strict penalties are needed for those producing counterfeit and substandard goods." Based on this, Ms. Chi outlined three main solutions. Firstly, a strong crackdown on counterfeit goods and commercial fraud is necessary. Strict penalties and sanctions should be imposed on counterfeit and substandard goods, especially those sold online. Currently, this channel is rapidly developing, large-scale, and poses many risks. Strong action must be taken now to stimulate consumer demand and strengthen consumer confidence.

Secondly, we need to innovate our approach to food safety management policies. This is because the food safety law has been in place for many years and is very outdated, leading to numerous problems. Currently, we are developing a new law, and amendments to the existing law are being prepared for approval. The new law must be modern, transparent, and risk-reducing.

Thirdly, the State needs to continue promoting consumer programs associated with high-quality Vietnamese goods, such as the "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods" program. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen support for long-standing businesses.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ai-cung-co-the-an-phai-thit-heo-nai-gia-thit-bo-185260522101812373.htm