According to the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), efforts to ensure food safety for the 2025 Lunar New Year include intensified animal disease prevention and stricter controls on slaughtering practices.
The department has collaborated with relevant agencies to deploy nine inspection teams to oversee slaughter facilities and veterinary hygiene across 17 provinces and cities. Additionally, two training sessions have been held for 80 officials to enhance their skills in slaughter control, veterinary hygiene, and food safety inspections.
In an interview with SGGP Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Long, Director of the Department of Animal Health, shared that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has instructed veterinary authorities to step up sampling and monitoring efforts to ensure food safety before, during, and after the Lunar New Year. The Prime Minister has also issued directives to address this issue.
Mr. Nguyen Van Long highlighted that effective disease control is crucial for ensuring food safety. The Department of Animal Health has coordinated with relevant agencies to inspect, detect, and strictly handle cases involving the transport and sale of substandard or illegally imported animals and animal products.
"We have achieved positive results in these efforts recently and will continue to enforce them during Tet," he stated. The director also noted that authorities would conduct rigorous inspections of permitted import shipments to identify and prevent unsafe meat and food products from entering the market, particularly during the holiday season.
"Regarding the control of imported meat, we have issued Circular 04 and are actively reviewing all regulations for food-exporting countries to Vietnam to ensure alignment with the standards set by the World Organization for Animal Health. Our focus is on three critical aspects: disease prevention, food safety, and traceability," said Mr. Nguyen Van Long, Director of the Department of Animal Health.
He noted that in 2024, veterinary authorities and related agencies identified nearly 400 administrative violations related to imported products, resulting in fines totaling over VND25 billion. These violations included both significant issues and minor infractions, such as mold or fungal contamination.
"This represents a record-high enforcement effort for the veterinary sector," Mr. Nguyen Van Long emphasized. "Consumers can have confidence that imported meat products are being rigorously inspected and tightly controlled by veterinary authorities."
MARD has announced that the Central Interagency Steering Committee on Food Safety has launched a comprehensive plan to ensure food safety during the 2025 Lunar New Year and Spring Festival season, aiming to minimize food poisoning cases during this festive period.
The plan prioritizes intensified interagency inspections and monitoring across all levels, focusing on high-risk food products consumed during Tet and festivals, traditional food processing villages, border provinces, and major urban centers. The program will be implemented nationwide from December 20, 2024, to March 25, 2025.
MARD also highlighted that localities such as HCMC have rolled out their food safety measures for Tet and the Spring Festival. In HCMC, authorities have urged media outlets to boost public awareness about food safety for producers, businesses, and consumers. Additionally, the city has established specialized and interagency teams to oversee and enforce food safety regulations throughout the area.
