
Hanoi (VNA) – Testing chemical residues in vegetables, fruit and otherfoodstuff sold at wet markets, supermarkets and restaurants will be enhanced inHanoi this year as part of the city’s efforts to stop unsafe food beingconsumed, said Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Tran VanChung.
Following tests during the inspections, unsafe food will be confiscated,creating a radical change in public compliance with food safety and hygieneregulations, he said at a meeting with the press on March 20.
Along with enhancing state management by setting up food safety watchdogs andinspection groups at grassroots levels, the city will develop food safetyproduction and supply chains and join hands with localities in food safetychain management.
Chung also pointed out that poor awareness of both food businesses andconsumers of the issue as well as a lack of involvement of local authoritieshamper the fight against unsafe food.
In 2017, the same campaign was carried out in the city and food safety testswere conducted on 1,100 samples, 85 of which tested positive for chemicalresidues and forbidden chemical ingredients. Authorities detected 26,310production units violating food safety regulations and punished 7,221 of them.
At present, Hanoi has 60 farm-to-fork food chains and has been working withother provinces to manage vegetable farming to VietGAP standards to ensure safefood supply for its citizens.-VNA