For safe meals

Venus Tam Dao Hotel always focuses on ensuring food hygiene and safety. Photo: Duong Chung

Daily meals are a factor that directly determines human health and life. With increasing pressure of time and work, unscientific eating habits and poor quality food are silently becoming the cause of many dangerous diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or acute poisoning.

As a province with many industrial parks, collective kitchens and strongly developed catering services, food safety control has always been identified as a key task by the province. However, in reality, violations are still complicated.

A typical case was recently discovered by the Economic Police Department, Provincial Police in coordination with functional forces on May 13. More than 1 ton of pork of unknown origin, with signs of bleeding on the skin, was processed at Thanh Mai Restaurant (Vinh Yen) to prepare to supply to a company in Khai Quang Industrial Park (Vinh Yen).

The pork was displayed on the concrete sidewalk in front of the restaurant, posing a serious risk of food safety. The restaurant owner and related individuals could not present documents proving the origin and quarantine status of the pork. The authorities have drawn up a record, destroyed all the pork, and are continuing to investigate to clarify and strictly handle the case according to regulations.

Worryingly, this is just one of many cases recently discovered, reflecting the alarming reality of the awareness and business ethics of a number of food processing and trading establishments that, for profit, disregard public health.

Across the country, authorities have continuously discovered, seized and destroyed a series of poor quality foods such as nearly 10 tons of animal organs of unknown origin in Me Linh and Thanh Tri districts ( Hanoi ); more than 2,000 boxes of red apple candy of unknown origin sold through the TikTok platform in Quang Ninh province; or the case of 50 tons of frozen animal organs that did not ensure storage and transportation conditions were temporarily detained in Thu Duc city (Ho Chi Minh City)...

Since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded many cases of food poisoning, causing many people to be hospitalized. These incidents not only occur at small processing facilities but also potentially in collective kitchens, restaurants, eateries... if not strictly controlled. This is a warning bell about the need to strengthen measures to ensure food hygiene and safety from production, processing to circulation and consumption.

Hoi Hop B Kindergarten (Vinh Yen) prioritizes using fresh food with clear origin to ensure safe meals for children. Photo: Duong Chung

In Vinh Phuc, although there have been no cases of food poisoning since the beginning of the year, the authorities have always proactively implemented inspection and control measures at traditional markets, industrial parks, collective kitchens, restaurants, hotels, etc. Thereby promptly detecting and strictly handling violations, preventing dirty food from entering collective meals and family meals.

Along with that, propaganda and community education on food hygiene and safety are promoted with many diverse forms such as communication programs with the theme "Eat clean - Live healthy"; training courses on skills to select and process safe food for workers, students, farmer members, women's members, etc.

According to nutrition experts, most chronic diseases today such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes... are directly related to nutritionally unbalanced and unsafe meals. Consuming unsanitary food, containing chemicals and unauthorized additives not only causes acute poisoning but also has long-term consequences for human health, increasing the burden of disease on society.

To have safe meals, in addition to the drastic participation of authorities at all levels and functional sectors, consumers need to proactively protect their own health and that of their families by choosing foods with clear origin and source, prioritizing products certified by VietGAP, OCOP, organic foods...

At the same time, we must resolutely say no to cheap, floating, unlabeled food with unusual signs of color and taste. When the whole society acts together, each meal will truly become a source of nourishment for health and life, instead of being a silent threat to the community.

Minh Nguyet

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/128674/De-co-nhung-bua-an-an-toan