Ministry pledges to back safe food initiative

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development fully supports the initiative of setting up a Food Transparency Association aiming to connect producers in supplying clean and safe foodstuffs to consumers, said Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam.

Speaking at a conference themed: “Aligning efforts to ensure transparency and traceability in the national food supply chain,” in Hanoi on June 15, he noted that food safety in Vietnam is becoming a complicated issue.

Meanwhile, rising demand for food due to the population increase is leading to additional food supply sources, he said, adding that abundant unsafe food available in the market is directly affecting people’s health.

The Deputy Minister held that the connectivity of food producers through the Food Transparency Association will help effectively deal with food safety matters, while putting an end to sparse agricultural production. This will contribute to encouraging large-scale farming and enhancing the agricultural sector’s competitiveness in both domestic and global markets, he asserted.

He also pledged that his ministry will offer policy support and information sharing in order to boost the transparent development of the food business industry.

According to Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, head of the lobby committee for the establishment of the Food Transparency Association, unsafe food is becoming a severe problem and a regular worry of all people.

At the same time, the uncontrolled use of pesticides, antibiotics and preservatives is a big challenge for authorised agencies, she said.

Deputy Minister Nam also expressed hope that food producers will raise their voice against unsafe food and join hands in the building of a safe national food supply chain for the sake of all people’s health.-VNA