The Ministry of Public Health launched an Action Month for Food Quality,Safety and Hygiene 2013 at a ceremony in the southern province ofDong Nai on April 9.
Speaking at the event,Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said over the past years,relevant ministries, agencies and localities have taken drastic measuresto ensure food hygiene and safety, but the results have failed to meetexpectation.
He said the number of violations in food safety and hygiene has not decreased, posing challenges for relevant authorities.
In particular, the Deputy PM underscored two pressing issues,including poor food safety and hygiene at companies’ canteens and thesmuggling of poultry, especially in the context of the avian influenzathreat, including the more common H5N1 type A and the recently emergingH7N9.
Nhan highlighted the theme of the actionmonth, which aims to stop illegal transport and trading of poultry andimprove food safety at canteens operated by enterprises.-VNA