Tighten quality control of agricultural products and food during Tet holiday.

Ho Chi Minh City is doing a good job preparing the supply of agricultural products and food for Tet (Lunar New Year) consumption. However, the city needs to continue to strictly inspect and control the supply of agricultural products and food for consumption in the city, ensuring quality, food safety, and consumer health. This was the main point raised at a working meeting between the delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on December 16th in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Pham Van Duy, Deputy Director of the Department of Processing Quality and Market Development ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ), spoke at the working session.

Reporting at the meeting, Mr. Vo Thanh Giau, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the city is currently meeting 60% of the demand for agricultural and aquatic products, thanks to abundant supply from farms and businesses, especially in Binh Duong and Ba Ria Vung Tau. Despite unfavorable weather conditions, agricultural and aquatic production and farming activities in the city remain stable, from vegetables to livestock, poultry, and seafood, capable of meeting the increased consumer demand at the end of the year.

“Regarding vegetable supply, although there are concerns about the weather, overall we have been able to ensure supply and demand. As for pork, African swine fever has broken out strongly nationwide, and the city has detected some cases of infected pigs, but these are mainly from outside sources. In addition, the city has maintained its poultry population, with egg production estimated to increase by 35.8% compared to last year,” Mr. Vo Thanh Giau stated.

Regarding the supply of goods at the three wholesale markets, Mr. Ngo Hong Y, Deputy Head of the Trade Management Department ( Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade), said that each night, 6,500-7,500 tons of goods arrive at the three markets. As Tet approaches, production will increase by 70-80% to meet the high demand. In addition, modern distribution systems (including 66 shopping malls, 300 supermarkets, and 3,600 convenience stores) have also prepared a large quantity of goods since mid-year, and are expected to increase 2-3 times compared to normal levels during the Tet season.

“Notably, the city is strongly implementing market stabilization activities throughout the year, focusing on the peak Tet holiday season. In 2025, the city is preparing over 26,000 billion VND worth of goods, of which over 9,000 billion VND will be price-stabilized goods, an increase of about 10% compared to 2025. Price-stabilized goods are expected to account for 23-40% of the market, sufficient to influence market activities and maintain price stability for end-of-year consumption,” Mr. Ngo Hong Y said.

In addition to focusing on ensuring the supply of goods and maintaining price stability, Ho Chi Minh City also strictly controls food safety issues, such as collaborating with localities to control agricultural and aquatic products at the source, building safe food chains, conducting traceability for both farmed, cultivated, and caught products; and monitoring and sampling at wholesale and traditional markets to prevent unsafe food from reaching consumers. In particular, the city is implementing a "Green Tick" responsibility program to enhance transparency and effectiveness in controlling product quality directly from manufacturers.

Mr. Vo Thanh Giau, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City, reported on the preparation of agricultural and aquatic product supply at the working session.

Appreciating the efforts to ensure the supply of agricultural and aquatic products, especially during the peak Tet holiday consumption season, Mr. Pham Van Duy, Deputy Director of the Department of Quality Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), said that Ho Chi Minh City is a large market, capable of coordinating production activities for the entire region. According to Mr. Duy, through on-site inspections of the supply chain at Saigon Co.op, modern retail systems have been very proactive in checking and monitoring inputs, from participating in building the food chain to taking samples and ensuring product quality for consumers. However, the risk of food safety issues still exists.

“During the peak Tet holiday consumption period, the demand is very high, which further increases the risk of food safety issues. Therefore, I recommend that the city continue to strengthen food sampling, increasing the frequency, quantity, and volume of sampling. When problems are detected, they need to be addressed immediately and at the source, from the production, farming, or processing facilities. This includes coordinating with other localities to prevent unsafe food from entering the market and affecting consumers,” Mr. Pham Van Duy emphasized.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Nhu Van Can, Deputy Director of the Fisheries Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), said that food safety, especially during the peak Tet holiday consumption season, is given special attention and emphasis. Ho Chi Minh City is an important market, both receiving and supplying, so proactive monitoring must be even more emphasized.

“In retail systems, in addition to the already controlled processing, fresh produce must also be strictly controlled. Through inspections at the system, we found that supermarkets have proactively taken samples, analyzed them, and controlled them throughout the chain, but I suggest that when a product is found to be substandard, it should be immediately reported to the relevant authorities so that proactive management can be ensured,” said Mr. Nhữ Văn Cẩn.

Regarding solutions for managing food safety issues at their root, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan, Head of the Policy and Legal Affairs Department (Department of Quality Processing and Market Development), stated that traceability is a fundamental solution to gradually eliminate concerns about food safety. Ho Chi Minh City is doing well in this area through various programs, but these are still pilot projects and have not been widely implemented as expected. Given Ho Chi Minh City's vast agricultural space and potential for processing agricultural and aquatic products, in-depth investment in managing the supply chain is essential.

“In addition to local agricultural and aquatic products, Ho Chi Minh City also imports goods from many localities in the region and across the country. We hope the city will prioritize resources and implement traceability systems, applying digital tools to save resources and achieve efficiency. Furthermore, the city should consider integrating production databases, from farms and businesses to large raw material areas in various localities, to create a common database for controlling and evaluating the quality of agricultural and aquatic products,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan.

A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment inspected the supply of goods at Saigon Co.op supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Bui Minh Thanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, stated that Ho Chi Minh City has always recognized its important role as both a receiving center and a market for supplying goods, not only for its 14 million residents but also for the entire region. Therefore, the city always prioritizes and strictly enforces quality control of goods, ensuring food safety throughout the year, especially during the peak Tet holiday season.

Acknowledging the challenges and risks of food safety issues that may arise in the context of a potential two to three-fold increase in goods for Tet consumption, Mr. Bui Minh Thanh stated that, with available resources, the city will continue to focus on monitoring goods from their source into the city, along with strengthening inspections and controls at wholesale markets, production facilities, traditional markets, supermarkets, and stores, to ensure safe and high-quality goods reach consumers.

“Food safety is always a pressing issue, and the city is paying close attention to it. With the challenges posed in the production, supply, and distribution of agricultural and aquatic products in the area, and with a large volume of goods coming from many localities and sources, we will continue to strengthen effective and practical measures, tighten inspections of high-risk sources, and inspect and control the quality and safety of food products in the market, so that residents and tourists can shop with peace of mind during Tet,” Mr. Bui Minh Thanh emphasized.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/siet-chat-kiem-soat-chat-luong-nong-san-thuc-pham-dip-tet-20251216162558498.htm