Food without clear indication of origin has been displayed in traditional markets at cheap prices; accordingly, it is highly likely that consumers will buy unsafe food.
Head of the HCM City Food Safety Management Board Pham Khanh Phong Lan said that from now to March, 2021, inter-department inspection teams will be set up to pay unscheduled visits to food business establishments and food importers, wholesale markets, supermarkets, commercial centers and eateries to ensure food safety during the country’s special holidays.
Inspectors will focus on checking facilities producing, processing and trading products that are mainly used during the Tet holiday and festivals, such as meat and meat products, beverages, alcoholic drinks, frozen food and confectionary as well as restaurants and eateries.
Additionally, local administrations in districts will also establish inter-district food inspection teams which concentrate on household facilities producing, processing and trading products. Local inspection teams must work with inter-department peers to check these above-mentioned facilities to ensure food safety for consumer protection.
Inspectors will check origins of food, production condition at facilities, brand names of products as well as take samples for tests. During inspection, inspectors will take samples if they suspect that the food is unsafe and they will impose fines on violators of food safety regulations, said Ms. Phong Lan.
Presently, people are used to buying food in social network. Though online purchase helps fighting the coronavirus pandemic and saving money, it is a big challenges for food safety management board because most of the online shops don’t have food safety certificates and they don’t pay tax.
Head of the HCM City Food Safety Management Board Pham Khanh Phong Lan said that no retrospective study has been reported on foodborne transmission of COVID-19.
Before, the Food Safety Management Board had taken samples of frozen food for testing and test results have shown that virus SARS-CoV-2 has not been discovered in these foods.
