Customers choose vegetables at a supermarket. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Food Administration under the Health Ministry set food poisoning among its priorities to tackle in 2016.
According to head of the department Nguyen Thanh Phong, investment will be channelled to boost the capacity of the human resources and equipment deployed in detecting and addressing contaminated products.
The agency is applying e-governance technology and implementing the ASEAN’s single-window mechanism.
Special inspections on food safety are set to be piloted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and awareness-raising campaigns will continue taking place.
In 2015, Vietnam recorded 171 food poisoning cases, affecting nearly 5,000 people and killing 23 people, a slight decrease of 22 cases compared to 2014. The number of cases occurring in households were well controlled, while the figures for factory and school canteens have followed a downward trend.
A total of 42 cities and provinces nationwide have their own food testing labs; laboratories in 15 other localities are under construction.-VNA
