Quality control of agricultural and aquatic products

Food safety is a topic that never gets old in today's life. Because it is related to every meal, it has a great impact on the health of each person. One of the areas that has recently received a lot of attention from experts and consumers is ensuring the safety of agricultural and aquatic products before they reach the dining table of each family.

A leafy vegetable growing area in the province. (Illustrative image)

1. Like many other housewives, Ms. Tran Thi Huong in Phu Thuy ward, Lam Dong province, always prioritizes the quality of each meal and aims for clean, traceable products. However, due to living in an urban area with limited land, she has to buy almost all her food, from vegetables and root crops to fish and meat, from the local market. Her anxiety increased recently when the media reported on numerous cases of counterfeit, fake, and substandard goods being discovered and dealt with by authorities, including agricultural products. Ms. Huong said that to ensure the quality of her meals, her family partly grows their own vegetables in styrofoam containers, and partly buys food from reputable vendors with OCOP certification and traceable origins.

Ms. Huong's concerns, and those of many other housewives, are not unfounded. In reality, for economic gain, some gardeners still use many types of pesticides improperly to spray vegetables and fruits, especially those eaten raw, leading to pesticide residue.

Specialized agencies periodically take samples to test the quality of agricultural and aquatic products.

2. According to the provincial Department of Agriculture , over the past five years, the management of food safety and quality in agricultural and aquatic products has been implemented relatively comprehensively. This includes strengthening quality monitoring through sampling on high-risk products such as vegetables, meat, raw aquatic products, and processed seafood. Simultaneously, the focus has been on developing many safe food supply chain models and promoting the transfer and application of advanced techniques and new technologies into production, resulting in high efficiency…

However, the provincial agricultural sector also acknowledges existing shortcomings. Currently, the scale of production areas and preliminary processing facilities for agricultural and aquatic products in the southeastern part of the province remains small and fragmented. Furthermore, the habit of overusing pesticides, the use of substandard or unverified pesticides, and the low level of compliance with food safety laws among some food producers and businesses, who prioritize profit over quality, persist.

Therefore, to ensure food safety and improve the quality of agricultural and aquatic products in the province, it is essential to strictly penalize cases of using banned substances in livestock farming; using food additives and processing aids in food preparation and processing in violation of regulations. This includes antibiotics, veterinary drugs, and pesticides not on the permitted list or of unknown origin… to build consumer confidence in food. In addition, promoting safe farming, livestock breeding, and aquaculture according to GAP and organic standards is crucial to improve product quality and value. Raising awareness and responsibility regarding food safety in the production and business practices of agricultural and aquatic products is also necessary. Furthermore, strengthening food safety control throughout the supply chain for the province's key agricultural and aquatic products and the advantageous products of each locality is essential. The goal is to control the quality of agricultural and aquatic products, contributing to ensuring consumer health and meeting the needs of both domestic and export markets.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kiem-soat-chat-luong-nong-thuy-san-382547.html