Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong (second, right) presents the decision of appointing Deputy Director of the municipal Health Department Pham Khanh Phong Lan as head of the Food Safety Management Board (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The Food Safety Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City officially made its debut at a ceremony on March 11, making the city become the first locality in the country piloting food safety management by only one agency.
With 500 staff, the board was divided into six divisions, working to manage all issues related to food safety in the city.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong stressed the need to ensure food safety as it directly affects health and the quality of daily life of the people.
Head of the Food Safety Management Board Pham Khanh Phong Lan said the city has coped with difficulties and challenges in managing food safety.
The formation of the board will help strictly manage food safety-related issues from production, cultivation to processing and sale, towards making locals feel secure when using food, Lan added.
As planned, the board’s operation will be piloted within three years, focusing on enhancing inspection and technical measures to prevent unsafe food from entering into the city, improving the efficiency of safe food chains and further developing safe food trading models.
The board will give advice and consultations to the municipal People’s Committee to coordinate with neighbouring localities in building safe food chains as up to 80 percent of farm produce and food consumed in the city come from other localities.
Attention will be paid to inspecting food trading activities in markets, especially wholesale markets, and establishing laboratory systems for fast scanning food sold at the markets, Lan said.
She expressed her hope that legal regulations will be revised, making it easier for the board to address issues related to food safety, contributing to combating unsafe food and bringing safe food to consumers. -VNA
VNA
