To protect consumers’ health, food safety regulations must be improved; food producers must take more responsibility; and the monitoring of food safety by relevant agencies must be stepped up; chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council, Pham Phuong Thao, has said.
She made the statement during a March 7 TV program titled “Act and Speak,” organized by HCMC Television (HTV) in conjunction with the city People’s Council, and with participation from several experts and officials.
A recent survey of public opinion, conducted by the city Party Committee’s Propaganda and Education Commission, showed that food safety and hygiene is the third leading concern for city residents, after the issues of consumer prices and flooding.
Public feedback also showed that most citizens would like to see an increase in the severity of punishment for food safety violators.
Speaking at the event, Tran Van Nho, chief inspector of the Health Department in northern Phu Yen Province, said, “Health is the most valuable thing for humans and food directly influences people’s health; but in recent years, many food poisoning cases have occurred – especially those caused by bottled drinking water.”
He blamed the situation mainly on “poor coordination between agencies concerned in controlling food safety.”
Nguyen Van Chau, director of the HCMC Health Department, said, “Last year, the number of food poisoning cases decreased from 2008, but the current situation remains alarming.
It is hard to control the quality of food produced by individual producers or food sold by numerous peddlers at small “markets,” illegally set up in alleys or along streets, he said.
In addition, the illegal slaughtering of livestock remains a headache for agencies in rural areas, Mr. Chau said.
In response to a question on the nature of food poisoning cases last year, Mr. Chau said, “In previous years, most food poisoning cases were caused by microorganisms, but last year, the main cause was toxic chemicals in food additives.”
The program cited Nguyen Thi Hong Nga, a vegetable grower from HCMC’s Tan Thoi Hiep Ward, District 12, as saying, “In my area, many growers and traders use chemicals to make vegetables look green, fresh and clean quickly so that they can market them immediately."
“Such traders and growers themselves would not dare eat their own products. Meanwhile, agencies concerned seldom monitor these businesses,” she said.
More safe food distribution channels needed
During the show, another participant said, “The most prominent violation is that traders cheat consumers by changing the origin of products. Who should be responsible for this?”
Nguyen Dang Nghia, a member of the city People’s Council, responded by saying that food safety should be strictly controlled at all stages, from production to circulation, processing and consumption.
Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, general director of Saigon Co.op, said, “Food quality at supermarkets is controlled closely so that products are safe for use. Therefore, supermarkets should set up more distribution channels and chains to directly provide more safe products for consumers.”
Mr. Chau added that such food distribution chains should be established initially for three main commodities: meats, eggs, and produce.
To help protect consumers, a food quality control center should be set up in Binh Dien Market, one of HCMC’s leading wholesale markets, a representative of the market management board suggested.
To boost food safety improvement, the city should also invest more money in food quality control activities and strengthen personnel at concerned agencies, said Nguyen Van Minh, deputy head of the Cultural and Social Commission of the city People’s Council.
