Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has publicly apologised for his remark at a recent National Assembly session that the majority of food sold in the market is safe but people do not know this, which met with public objections.
Talking with the press on April 3, the official said due to limited time, he failed to explain clearly what he wanted to say that the collected statistics show that almost food in the market is safe but people find it hard to distinguish which one is really safe.
“I do not mean that the people do not know about the situation of food safety,” he said, stressing that the public understand well and are very concerned about the situation.
The minister pledged to work harder with his colleagues to help people access safe food, noting that it is the responsibility of the agricultural sector and other State agencies.
Therefore, he said, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has teamed up with 35 provinces nationwide to build 280 safe food supply chains with 549 stores.
The agricultural sector considers ensuring food safety as its top priority task, he said.-VNA