Ho Chi Minh City must implement drastic measures to check unsafe food items, said Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, chairwoman of municipal People's Council in a live televised program on Sunday.
Ms. Tam was speaking at the “Listening and Exchange” program in which people from all fields and professions were present.
The program saw journalist, deputies, and scientists complain of dead animal carcasses turning up as roast dishes on tables, live animals being sold in flea markets and streets and unchecked sale of unmarked chemicals.
Meanwhile market managers cried for help as they lacked equipment to do instant tests of chemical residues in foods.
Participants in the program said cooperation between responsible agencies in the district is needed and related agencies should adopt proactive measures to fight sale of unsafe food items.
Huynh Cong Hung, head of the social and cultural section of the HCMC People’s Council and Vo Van Hung, deputy head of District 8 People’s Committee said greater awareness of unsafe food items and their harmful effects must be brought to households, to make people realize that even though they may be purchasing cheaper items they are unsafe and unhygienic for human consumption.
Moreover, people should be educated to boycott unsafe foods and boldly denounce companies that produce substandard products.
Hua Ngoc Thuan, Deputy Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, said the city is proposing to provide a team of 60 people as a food supervising workforce. The city will also make public names of companies that manufacture poor quality products.
