Hanoi tightens food safety management

Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi’s Department of Industry and Trade plans to enhance food safety management and inspections in 2016, focusing on inspections in wet markets and food trading in the city.

Tran Minh Tu from the department said his agency will take measures to supervise the trading of food to ensure that unsafe food does not appear in markets.

According to Tu, through an unannounced inspection at 3 am of April 12 in the Phung Khoang wet market, Nam Tu Liem district, the municipal Department of Market Management seized nearly 1 tonne of frozen foods including animal viscera, spareribs and chicken, which had no certificates of origin.

Expanding its inspection, the agency’s force also found 14 freezers storing food at the market without any documents proving origin or food standards.

After the situation, the municipal Department of Industry and Trade asked the district People’s Committee to strictly punish groups and individuals violating food safety regulations, and further enhance inspections of trading at the market as well.

In recent times, many cases of unsafe pork trading and transport have been detected and seized. Meanwhile, foods such as vegetables, fruits, beef and poultry, aquatic products and sea foods have been found to contain residues of pesticide and preservative chemicals and antibiotics.

Notably, violations related to the use of banned chemical substances in cultivation and preserving foods have not been handled strictly.

Tu said it is necessary to promote links in this work between his agency and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Department of Health.

The Department of Industry and Trade intends to direct district authorities in carrying out supervision and inspections in wet markets throughout 2016, towards improving the efficiency of food safety and guaranteeing hygiene standards, he added.-VNA