Recently, reports of vegetables sprayed or dipped in toxic chemicals; shrimp injected with adulterants; and smuggled frozen meat and animal organs of unknown origin have become a constant concern and a major worry for society as a whole. Meanwhile, the inspection and detection of "dirty" food still face many difficulties.
Buying and selling frozen and packaged food at traditional markets.
The market is flooded with unsafe food.
Unsafe and contaminated food is smuggled into the market through various methods and in diverse forms, primarily as raw materials that are frozen, processed, packaged, and then distributed to markets, small retail outlets, and eateries. A commonality is that the amount of unsafe and contaminated food discovered and seized by authorities nationwide is significant, lacking proper origin and traceability, and in some cases even in a state of decomposition…
Although the situation regarding violations related to the sale of "dirty" food and smuggled food in Bac Lieu province is not as "heated" as in other localities, through inspection and control, functional agencies still discover many cases of violations involving smuggled food, food of unknown origin, and expired food.
Specifically, recently, the Environmental Police Department, in coordination with the Road Traffic Police Department (Provincial Police), stopped a truck with license plate 69C-048.67 traveling on National Highway 1A (section passing through Hamlet 14, Vinh My B Commune, Hoa Binh District). Upon inspection, authorities discovered the vehicle was transporting 230kg of various frozen food products with foreign labels; the driver could not produce any invoices or supporting documents for the shipment.
Previously, the Economic Police force (Provincial Police) in coordination with the Provincial Market Management Department also discovered more than 3.7 tons of soybeans and mung beans without invoices or documents, and of unknown origin, owned by Mr. HA's food business (Ward 7, Bac Lieu City). The goods were seized as they were being prepared for market distribution. Since the beginning of the year, authorities in the province have also discovered many vehicles transporting shrimp containing impurities en route to market…
Unsafe food is always lurking, infiltrating people's meals, while people still buy and consume food daily based on trust in the sellers. On the other hand, a segment of the population, facing economic hardship, still accepts using unregulated, cheap food, despite knowing the risk of food poisoning and potential health consequences.
Authorities destroy tea of unknown origin. Photo: TQ
Strengthen market inspection and control.
Consuming contaminated food may not have immediate consequences, but it has potentially serious repercussions for consumers. According to experts, food contaminated with toxins can cause acute or subacute symptoms. If consumed continuously or intermittently, these toxins can accumulate in the body, eventually leading to serious illnesses such as cancer, unexplained functional disorders, and infertility.
To protect the health and rights of consumers, authorities have established numerous inter-agency inspection teams to conduct market inspections and controls, and strictly penalize businesses and households that violate regulations. The inspection process is combined with the dissemination of legal information and education to raise awareness and responsibility among businesses and to encourage public vigilance against substandard and unidentifiable food products.
The fight against unsafe and unsanitary food remains a challenging endeavor. Despite the efforts of relevant authorities, this work still faces several limitations. These include inconsistent and non-uniform legal regulations; lenient penalties, primarily consisting of warnings and public awareness campaigns, which lack sufficient deterrent effect; and overlapping implementation processes. Meanwhile, the specialized workforce is insufficient, only enough to conduct inspections at wholesale markets, retail stores, local markets, and supermarkets, while these products are widely available, especially on social media platforms. Controlling and managing the quality of goods is difficult because buyers and sellers communicate via text messages and phone calls, without physical warehouse addresses.
Therefore, to effectively prevent and reduce the problem of unsafe and contaminated food, in addition to the responsibility of the authorities, the cooperation of the people is essential. When detecting violations, people should report them to the competent authorities for timely handling. In consumption, people should not consume or buy food of unknown origin and should equip themselves with knowledge about food safety to protect themselves and their families.
Minh Luan
According to a report by the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Department, the province currently has 192 food production facilities, 2,695 food service establishments, and 777 street food vendors. In the first six months of 2023, the province established 182 inspection teams, inspecting 3,794 establishments. Of these, 3,586 met the standards, 208 violated regulations, and 37 had their products destroyed, mainly due to expired or unidentifiable products.
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