Only 5-10 per cent of additives consumed in the country is manufactured domestically, Phong said, with the rest imported.
"Large volumes of additives are smuggled into the country, and monitoring it is a difficult task," he said.
He urged people selling additives in the market not to sell them without certificates of origin and safety.
They should ask imported companies to show these certificates, he said. And they should learn knowledge about the safe use of additives to guide buyers, he added.
Many delegates called on authorities to slap stiff penalties on violators.
But Phong said penalties can only be imposed on sellers and it will not prevent people from buying unsafe additives.
At the workshop, the management of Kim Bien Market in the city's District 5 and local shopkeepers signed a pledge to only sell permitted additives and those with clear origins.-VNA
"Large volumes of additives are smuggled into the country, and monitoring it is a difficult task," he said.
He urged people selling additives in the market not to sell them without certificates of origin and safety.
They should ask imported companies to show these certificates, he said. And they should learn knowledge about the safe use of additives to guide buyers, he added.
Many delegates called on authorities to slap stiff penalties on violators.
But Phong said penalties can only be imposed on sellers and it will not prevent people from buying unsafe additives.
At the workshop, the management of Kim Bien Market in the city's District 5 and local shopkeepers signed a pledge to only sell permitted additives and those with clear origins.-VNA
