Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan launched an action month for food quality, hygiene and safety in Hanoi on April 16, calling on every single person to make an effort to ensure food safety.
“The Government and State regards ensuring food safety and hygiene as an extremely important task, when caring and protecting the people’s health,” said the Deputy PM.
He underlined that every consumer, the relevant State agencies and people’s committees at all levels should be aware of their responsibilities when inspecting and ensuring food quality and safety for the health of current and future generations.
The Deputy PM urged all sectors and enterprises to cooperate closer in inspecting the safety of food and punish the producers, processors and traders of food in an unhygienic condition strictly.
These sectors and enterprises need to work together to publicise campaigns that raise the consumers’ awareness when choosing and buying food for the good of their health, said deputy PM Nhan.
However, efforts to ensure food safety are being challenged by the growing population, an increase in purchasing power, environmental pollution and epidemics.
Besides, many food producers and businesses are yet to become aware of the requirements for food hygiene and safety and food inspections and agencies that monitor and test foods have operated inefficiently.
According to the Department of Food Hygiene and Safety (DFHS), at present, Vietnam does not yet have adequate numbers of professional inspectors to carry out food hygiene and safety and the work is currently being done by only 230 health officers.
Due to the lack of detailed and strict legal guidelines and sanctions, poor inspections and a lack of awareness amongst producers and consumers, a variety of poor quality foods still make it to the market, resulting in many regrettable and avoidable cases of food poisoning./.
“The Government and State regards ensuring food safety and hygiene as an extremely important task, when caring and protecting the people’s health,” said the Deputy PM.
He underlined that every consumer, the relevant State agencies and people’s committees at all levels should be aware of their responsibilities when inspecting and ensuring food quality and safety for the health of current and future generations.
The Deputy PM urged all sectors and enterprises to cooperate closer in inspecting the safety of food and punish the producers, processors and traders of food in an unhygienic condition strictly.
These sectors and enterprises need to work together to publicise campaigns that raise the consumers’ awareness when choosing and buying food for the good of their health, said deputy PM Nhan.
However, efforts to ensure food safety are being challenged by the growing population, an increase in purchasing power, environmental pollution and epidemics.
Besides, many food producers and businesses are yet to become aware of the requirements for food hygiene and safety and food inspections and agencies that monitor and test foods have operated inefficiently.
According to the Department of Food Hygiene and Safety (DFHS), at present, Vietnam does not yet have adequate numbers of professional inspectors to carry out food hygiene and safety and the work is currently being done by only 230 health officers.
Due to the lack of detailed and strict legal guidelines and sanctions, poor inspections and a lack of awareness amongst producers and consumers, a variety of poor quality foods still make it to the market, resulting in many regrettable and avoidable cases of food poisoning./.
