Representatives questioned department leaders about online food delivery and student meal services in Ho Chi Minh City.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety acknowledges that controlling food quality on e-commerce platforms and online food sales is much more difficult than in traditional businesses.

On the morning of December 10th, the 6th session (the year-end special session) of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, 10th term, 2021-2026, began its question-and-answer session in the assembly hall. Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, was the first leader of the department to take the podium to answer questions.

During the meeting, the field of food safety and hygiene received special attention from the delegates. Many opinions requested the Director of the Department of Food Safety to clarify the work of ensuring food safety and hygiene in the area, the inspection and supervision work of the management agency, and especially regarding the sale of food on e-commerce platforms and school meals for students.

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department, Pham Khanh Phong Lan, answers questions at the City Council meeting (Photo: Q. Huy).

"Managing the e-commerce sector is a common challenge for all industries, and the National Assembly is preparing to enact the E-commerce Law. We started from small-scale production and business, where even when people meet in person and conduct transactions without invoices or receipts, it's very difficult for authorities to handle issues that need to be addressed," Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan stated.

The problem is causing headaches for the authorities.

In her opening question at the interpellation session, delegate Doan Ngoc Nhu Tam stated that the explosion of e-commerce is outpacing current regulations. She noted that the Food Safety Department and other agencies have made efforts to control online food delivery services, but the real risk lies in the cyberspace. The delegate questioned solutions for establishing a coordination mechanism and assigning direct responsibility for food safety management to the owners of these delivery platforms.

Responding to the above comments, the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety stated that controlling quality on e-commerce platforms is much more difficult than with traditional businesses. The Department of Food Safety does not have direct management authority, but is applying existing regulations to inspect and monitor.

"Online kitchens all have distributors in the form of online food delivery platforms. For each application, we work with a supplier. The kitchens that prepare food for customers must have food safety licenses. Stores registered to sell on the application must also meet the conditions and are subject to inspection," Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan replied to delegate Doan Ngoc Nhu Tam.

Representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council pose questions to the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety (Photo: Xuan Doan).

According to the head of the Food Safety Department, for "online kitchens," the suppliers already have established names, and the anonymity inherent in e-commerce has been partially overcome. When incidents, complaints, or denunciations arise from customers, the authorities have a basis to handle them according to the law.

"The biggest challenges in management are unlicensed and online trading. What gives us the biggest headache is the websites and small online suppliers promoting various products and food items. In these cases, it is very difficult to find the specific address, detect the perpetrators red-handed, and take samples. We require all products sold online to go through the procedures for product quality declaration and self-declaration for functional foods, therapeutic foods, and pre-packaged foods," added Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan.

Put an end to the "choosing someone you know" mentality.

During the questioning session, delegates also raised concerns about school meals, arguing that excessively tight budget controls could compromise the quality of ingredients. Delegate Doan Ngoc Nhu Tam questioned the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department, Pham Khanh Phong Lan, about the food safety risks associated with prioritizing cost-effectiveness.

"Does the Department plan to coordinate with the education sector to establish technical barriers regarding nutrition and minimum quality standards? In my opinion, this would provide a legal basis for schools to confidently reject bids with unusually low prices," said Ms. Doan Ngoc Nhu Tam.

The Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department believes that tightening meal costs and reducing portion sizes will create a greater risk of food safety issues. Ho Chi Minh City currently has approximately 3,500 schools with various models ranging from self-organized kitchens to those that use catering companies or pre-ordered meals.

There were 8 questions raised by members of the People's Council regarding food safety in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Xuan Doan).

According to Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, the risk to food safety in schools does not stem from price issues, because parents are willing to sacrifice everything for their children and are not very concerned about the cost. What worries the Food Safety Department is the selection of suppliers.

"Sometimes schools choose meal providers simply because they are acquaintances of the district (formerly), ward, or school leaders. We had to invite the schools to discuss the matter and develop a joint plan with the Department of Education and Training to improve the knowledge of the schools, from principals to those in charge of the school kitchen," said Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan.

The head of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department affirmed that the unit does not interfere with the school's choice of partners or the cost, but food safety must be the top priority. In the event of an incident, the school principal will be the first to be held responsible.

Recently, the Food Safety Department established training teams throughout the region, including the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau areas. The Department also has food safety management teams in each area to guide kitchens and catering companies.

In addition, wards and communes also allocate resources to organize separate working groups at each educational level.

"Food safety issues are hardly affected by costs. We don't set minimum standards, but we have strengthened inspections and monitoring, and encouraged and requested parent associations to participate from the selection of ingredients to the complete meal. This is a collaborative effort that has been carried out for many years to ensure food safety and hygiene for the people," said Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan.

During the questioning session, the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department, Pham Khanh Phong Lan, stated that the food safety situation in Ho Chi Minh City always faces many challenges, and no one can guarantee absolute safety.

Driven by the need for a unified, centralized agency to enhance management effectiveness and workforce strength, the city established the Food Safety Management Board at the end of 2016. By 2024, under Resolution 98, the agency was further streamlined and upgraded to the Department of Food Safety.

With the focus of three sectors—health, agriculture, and industry and trade—under one umbrella, the department has simultaneously implemented two key tasks: building a "clean food" city and resolutely combating "unsafe food." This is coupled with raising awareness among the community, producers, businesses, and management agencies, and promoting administrative reforms, the application of information technology, and digital transformation to enhance monitoring effectiveness.

According to Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, acute poisoning cases often attract significant media attention and cause social outrage. But more importantly, the "hidden" part of the iceberg is the question: " Is the food people consume daily truly safe? Are there any harmful substances that accumulate over the long term? And what will the consequences be decades from now?"

Therefore, the Food Safety Department not only focuses on handling cases of acute food poisoning but also pays attention to the quality of people's daily food.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/dai-bieu-chat-van-lanh-dao-so-ve-do-an-truc-tuyen-suat-an-hoc-sinh-o-tphcm-20251210094916901.htm