In the upcoming time, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will approve a decision which will enhance management, improve the quality of food safety and controlling banned chemicals.
The decision is hoped to raise local authorities and agencies’ responsibility in managing food safety and hygiene because there have been rampant violations of food safety regulation.
As per the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, under the food hygiene campaign launched from October, 2015 to February, 2016 in 42 cities and provinces nationwide about pesticide residues in vegetables, banned chemicals in meat and aquatic animal, inspectors reported that of 7,593 veggies samples, 393 samples are contaminated with banned chemicals and pesticide residues exceed allowable limits.
Testing of 5,450 meat samples, inspectors detected that the content of banned chemical and antibiotic in 104 samples exceeded standards.
Additionally, of 5,433 meat samples, inspectors discovered 834 samples had Salmonella - a bacteria that can cause food-borne infection including sudden onset of fever, headache, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Furthermore, tests of 4,963 aquatic samples, 361 samples had the content of banned chemicals, antibiotic over the standard.
The Ministry said that violations of food safety decreased slightly in the country.
Public concerns have lately been raised about the use of banned chemicals in husbandry, the Ministry decided to launch another campaign. Accodingly, the Vietnam Administration of Drug under the Ministry of Health has sent its document to the sub-divisions asking to stop import Salbutamol.
During the campaign the Ministry of Public Security's environmental police unit, known as PC49 in cooperation with inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development paid unscheduled visits to 17 animal food processing companies; five out of 17 including Minh Anh Pharmaceutical Company in the southern province of Binh Duong, Khoa Nguyen Animal Health Company in Ho Chi Minh City, Phuong Dong International Pharma in Hanoi, Truong Phu Animal Health Company in the northern province of Hai Duong and Seabird Fish Company in HCMC were detected to sell and use Salbutamol in husbandry.
As per reports, inspectors have paid visits to 1,129 breeding farms and detected 24 companies violated the regulation, accounting for 2.2. percent; additionally inspector detected 12 out of 649 animal feeds were positive for Salbutamol.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development petitioned to the government to soon take quick testing kits to facilitate inspection mission. Moreover, the Ministry suggested the government to add Salbutamol into the list of special chemical which are under close observation to prevent people to use for the wrong purpose.
