Ensuring food safety during Lunar New Year

The Year of the Dragon 2024 is approaching, people's demand for food is increasing. At this time, food production and trading establishments in the province have prepared large quantities of goods to sell to the market. To ensure people have a safe Tet, the Provincial Steering Committee for Food Safety and Hygiene (VSATTP) has deployed inspections, checks, and handling of the production and trading of fake and poor-quality food, focusing on items that are widely used during Tet.

Authorities conduct rapid testing of ham products sold at Cau market, Gio Linh district - Photo: BB

Dong Ha City market these days has recorded a variety of goods for sale, ready to meet people's consumption needs during the Lunar New Year.

For more than two months now, Co.opmart Dong Ha Supermarket has had a plan to stockpile goods early, in which the amount of essential goods has increased 2-3 times compared to a normal business month, focusing mainly on items such as fresh food, functional foods, cosmetics, household appliances... with a total stockpile of goods for Tet worth about 70 billion VND.

Deputy Director of Co.opmart Dong Ha Supermarket Ho Thi Thanh Duyen said: “Food safety is always the top concern of the supermarket. We strictly control the quality of input goods, select reputable suppliers. All goods sold at the supermarket have clear origin records, are stored at suitable temperatures, according to the manufacturer's recommendations printed on the product label. For fresh goods, most are imported from SaigonCoop warehouse which has been tested for food safety. As for fresh food imported locally, the supplier has full legal documents and product quality records in accordance with regulations. The supplier has committed to producing and trading safe food, in the sales contract signed between the supermarket and the supplier, there is a clause that the goods ensure food safety. Every month, the supermarket's quality management department conducts quick tests to check for pesticide residues, borax and formalin. For fruits Plants and vegetables are all tested for pesticide residues. Co.opmart also has a plan to increase the frequency of product quality control by 5-10 times compared to normal business months, especially for food groups serving Tet.

Recently, the Provincial Interdisciplinary Steering Committee on Food Safety has issued a plan to implement food safety assurance work for the Lunar New Year and the 2024 Spring Festival season. Accordingly, 2 provincial-level interdisciplinary inspection teams were established to inspect 9 districts, towns and cities. In addition, localities have also established 3 district-level inspection teams and 20 commune-level inspection teams to strengthen food safety inspection work during the Lunar New Year.

The province's interdisciplinary teams have deployed inspections, checks, and handling of the production and trading of fake and poor quality food. They focus on items that are widely used during Tet such as: meat products, beer, wine, soft drinks, cakes, candies, vegetables, fruits, food additives, etc.

Inspect food service establishments, promptly detect, prevent and handle violations of food safety and hygiene, control food poisoning, especially alcohol poisoning caused by methanol. Focus on controlling production and import hubs, supermarkets, traditional markets, and poultry slaughterhouses. At the same time, strictly control smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, goods of poor quality, expired goods, and goods of unknown origin to ensure food safety and hygiene in the production, processing, trading and use of food, aiming at the goal of safety, prevention and control of food poisoning and infectious diseases through food.

Up to now, delegations from the provincial to grassroots levels have inspected 280 establishments, discovered 58 establishments violating food safety conditions in food production and trading, of which administrative violation records were drawn up and 2 provincial inspection delegations issued decisions to fine 6 establishments with a total fine of 12 million VND. The delegations also conducted rapid tests on 68 samples at 30 stalls selling ham, seafood, groceries in markets and ham production establishments, the rapid test samples all had negative results.

In addition, the Food Safety and Hygiene Department also organized food safety supervision at food service establishments in the market in Quang Tri town and Dakrong district, conducting rapid testing of 44 food samples including: vermicelli, wet rice paper, pho, various types of sausages, jackfruit, tofu molds... the results of all samples were satisfactory.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, a trader at Ho Xa market, Vinh Linh district, said: "Traders doing business at the market are regularly informed about important criteria for building a food safety market such as: food with clear origin, not selling food contaminated with microorganisms, toxic chemicals, expired food, processed food is stored in glass cabinets or covered, hygienically packaged... to ensure the health of consumers."

Directly participating in the province's interdisciplinary inspection team to inspect the food safety situation at Ho Xa market, Vinh Linh district, Lieutenant Colonel Truong Quang Thong, Deputy Head of Team 4, Economic Police Department, Provincial Police said that to ensure food safety in the area, in addition to inspection work, it is necessary to continue to strengthen propaganda and education on food safety laws through many channels to raise awareness of compliance and understanding of food safety laws of producers, businesses and consumers.

The inspection and compliance with food safety regulations at food production, trading and import establishments during the Lunar New Year and the 2024 Spring Festival season will continue to be carried out by the authorities. Along with the drastic participation of the authorities, production and trading establishments need to raise awareness and responsibility in food trading. In particular, people need to be careful in choosing products with clear origins, ensuring food safety and hygiene factors to ensure the health of their families, especially during the Lunar New Year.

Aquarius

Source