“HCMC has a Department of Food Safety, but other Departments do not stay out of the game.”

(Dan Tri) - According to the Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City has a unique Food Safety Department model, the only one in the country, but other departments and branches are not left out of this work.

At the press conference to announce the 9th “Pho Day” program (December 12), jointly implemented by Tuoi Tre newspaper and many agencies and departments, Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, said that food hygiene and safety work at the above activity was thoroughly implemented.

Accordingly, hygiene monitoring activities take place continuously throughout the event, from preparation to completion. All booths must comply with standards on clean processing areas, cooking utensils and mandatory gloves and masks during the entire service process.

According to Mr. Phuong, in all activities promoting and developing Vietnamese cuisine in general, food safety is always the top priority. All participating products must undergo a strict control process, from raw materials, processing to packaging and transportation.

Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City (center) shares about food safety assurance at "Pho Day" (Photo: HT).

Strict compliance with standards not only meets health and safety criteria for consumers, but also contributes to building the reputation of Vietnamese products in the international market.

This is also a mandatory requirement to ensure that Vietnamese enterprises are qualified to participate in promotional activities and compete fairly at major events.

Returning to “Pho Day”, the Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City added that to ensure the highest quality for each bowl of pho served at the festival, Ho Chi Minh City has assigned the Department of Food Safety and related units to coordinate and implement strict hygiene control procedures.

All stalls must ensure clean kitchens, while water sources for cooking pho, blanching noodles and cleaning of utensils are tested and monitored throughout the festival.

“HCMC has a unique Food Safety Department model, the only one in the country, and is assigned the task of ensuring health safety for the people, but other departments and branches are not left out of this work,” said Mr. Nguyen Phuong.

Ensuring food safety at "Pho Day" is a top priority (Illustration: Hoang Le).

Previously, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety recommended that, in addition to the efforts of management agencies and the responsibilities of production and business establishments, consumers also play an important role in forming the habit of using safe food, contributing to reducing the risk of poisoning and foodborne diseases.

People need to buy food at markets, supermarkets, stores, and food service establishments that have been granted food safety certificates, and products have clear information about origin, production date, and expiry date.

When eating out, especially during festivals and crowded events, people should prioritize choosing food service establishments with fixed locations, clean food processing and storage areas, and service staff wearing gloves, hats, and masks;

Limit the use of street vendors and makeshift establishments that do not ensure hygienic conditions in processing areas, business areas, and conditions for people in direct contact with food.

The 2025 Pho Day Festival "Raising the level of Vietnamese rice - Spreading to the five continents" takes place on December 13-14 at the old Tax Trade Center (135 Nguyen Hue, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City). Accompanying this year's Festival is the presence of more than 30 pho stalls with many famous brands from North to South, even the presence of the Vietnamese Pho brand in Seoul, Korea.

The Pho Day Festival is expected to serve more than 20,000 bowls of pho over the two days and attract about 100,000 visitors. Each bowl of pho at the event is sold for 40,000 VND.

The Organizing Committee will deduct at least 10% from the revenue from Pho sales, together with the cooperation of readers and accompanying units, to send to people who suffered a lot of damage due to storms and floods in Dak Lak province (formerly Phu Yen ) during the recent storm.

At the same time, the organizers emphasized the story of "spreading to five continents" by encouraging and receiving information from Pho restaurants at home and abroad with activities and events in response to Pho Day on December 12.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/tphcm-co-so-an-toan-thuc-pham-nhung-cac-so-khac-khong-dung-ngoai-cuoc-20251204145536166.htm