Five food safety inspection teams were established for the Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake).

The Central Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on Food Safety has signed a decision promulgating the plan for implementing food safety assurance work during the Lunar New Year (Tet) and Spring Festival season of 2025.

According to the Steering Committee, the Lunar New Year is a time when food consumption increases significantly, especially for meat, fish, eggs, confectionery, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, and nuts.

To meet market demand, many food production and business establishments are increasing their operations, but this is also a time when there are potential risks to food quality and safety due to the influence of weather (humid in the North and hot in the South).

The implementation plan aims to protect public health, ensure healthy development and competition among food production and business establishments, and control and prevent counterfeit and substandard products, as well as prevent food poisoning during the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival of 2025.

Authorities inspect a food business . (Illustrative image)

The Central Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on Food Safety will establish five inter-ministerial inspection teams and conduct inspections in 10 key provinces and cities: Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tra Vinh , Soc Trang, Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Hanoi, Hai Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dong Nai.

Inspection teams will focus on products that are consumed in large quantities during Tet and other festivals, especially food groups with high risk factors, food processing villages, as well as provinces with border gates and major cities.

In addition to inter-agency inspection teams at the central level, local authorities will also establish inspection teams from the provincial to the commune level to ensure food safety.

An important part of the plan is to mobilize all available media channels to disseminate legal regulations on food safety, as well as knowledge on selecting, preserving, processing, and consuming food.

Central and local news agencies and media outlets will participate in communicating about ensuring food safety for producers, businesses, and consumers during the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival season of 2025.

The plan also emphasizes the dissemination of regulations on hygiene conditions for facilities, equipment, and tools used in food production, processing, and trading.

At the same time, consumers will be guided on how to choose safe food, how to prepare and preserve food properly, and how to avoid buying food of unknown origin or that shows signs of spoilage, mold, or damage.

In particular, food production, processing, and trading establishments will be educated on the use of ingredients with clear origins, permitted food additives, and regulations on the production and trading of alcoholic beverages according to Decree No. 105/2017/ND-CP and related documents.

The Steering Committee also requested the mobilization of all resources in society to participate in preventing and combating the production and sale of counterfeit and substandard food, and called on the community to detect and report violations of food safety regulations.

As requested by the Steering Committee, relevant agencies should encourage food production and business establishments to strictly comply with food hygiene and safety regulations, change unhygienic consumption habits, and contribute to protecting the environment.

This implementation plan will be carried out nationwide from December 20, 2024 to March 25, 2025. Strict inspection and monitoring activities will be implemented to ensure food safety during the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival season of 2025, protecting public health, especially in the context of increased food consumption demand.

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