Dirty food still prevails

Recently, serious violations of food safety and hygiene at confectionery production facilities have caused public confusion, especially as the Lunar New Year is approaching.

Worrying issues about food safety during Tet

One of the most sensational cases was the Nguyen Ninh green rice cake production facility, which was temporarily suspended due to failure to meet food hygiene and safety standards.

A confectionery production facility does not meet food hygiene and safety requirements.

During the inspection, the inspection teams discovered that this facility operated in a family kitchen that did not meet requirements, had no separate functional areas, and was very messy. The physical condition of the facility was seriously degraded: the floor was peeling, moldy, and the open sewers were full of stagnant waste.

In particular, the inspection team discovered that clothes were being hung out to dry right in the food processing area, and production tools were not being cleaned regularly, leading to dirt accumulation. A notable point is that the toilet is located right next to the food processing area, while the production area has insects and even animal feces.

At the same time, the Hanoi City interdisciplinary food safety inspection team continued to discover serious violations at the snack production workshop of Duc Vinh Food Technology and Trading Joint Stock Company, located at No. 2, Thanh Nien Street, La Phu Industrial Zone, Hoai Duc, Hanoi. The inspection results recorded many violations of food hygiene and safety.

Specifically, the production area does not comply with the one-way principle, does not divide the functional areas separately and does not ensure the closedness in the production process. The sanitary conditions here are also extremely worrying when the snacks are poured directly onto the floor, which is covered with stains and grease. In particular, the workers in the factory do not use gloves when packaging the products.

More seriously, the inspection team discovered dead rats emitting a foul odor right in the production area. In addition, the facility was unable to produce documents proving the origin of some additives and raw materials used in production.

These violations become more serious as the Lunar New Year approaches, a time when people's demand for food increases.

Products such as candies, jams, and potato chips are indispensable snacks during Tet, and it is worrying that a segment of consumers continue to choose products from unsanitary production facilities, with the excuse of "cheap", "convenient" or "eating a little is okay".

Lessons from food safety violations

Along with the inspections by the food safety inspection team, the authorities also arrested food businesses that committed serious violations.

On January 8, the Economic Police Department (Hanoi City Police) coordinated with the Hanoi Market Management Department to inspect a frozen food business in Tuu Liet commune, Thanh Tri district, Hanoi.

At the time of inspection, authorities discovered more than 2.1 tons of frozen food, including pig brains, egg intestines, pig intestines, chicken gizzards, etc. of unknown origin and not yet quality tested.

The owner of the facility was unable to present a business license or invoices for these goods. The inspection team made a record, temporarily detained all of the above goods and will handle them according to the provisions of law.

According to a report from the Food Safety Department, in 2024, the country recorded 131 cases of food poisoning, causing nearly 5,000 people to become ill and 21 deaths. In particular, food poisoning from street food tends to increase, forcing authorities to tighten management during the Lunar New Year.

In addition, local inspection teams have also discovered a series of establishments violating food safety and hygiene during Tet, with fines of up to hundreds of millions of VND. Common violations include using employees without food safety training certificates, not ensuring hygiene, not separating functional areas in the production process, and using raw materials of unknown origin.

With food safety and hygiene during Tet becoming a worrying issue, the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health has issued important recommendations to protect public health such as choosing food at reputable supermarkets and stores:

Consumers should prioritize buying food at reputable supermarkets and stores with clear origins and ensuring adequate legal conditions. Food products should have clear labels, information on production date, expiry date, and origin.

Check the information on the packaging carefully: Consumers need to carefully check the information on the product packaging, including the date of manufacture, expiry date and origin. In particular, pay attention to products that do not have a food safety certificate or have damaged packaging.

Notify authorities of violations: If a manufacturing or retail establishment is found to have violated food safety regulations, consumers should immediately notify authorities to prevent harm and protect public health.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/an-toan-thuc-pham-ngay-tet-thuc-pham-ban-van-hoanh-hanh-d240275.html