HCM City (VNA) – Vietnamese consumers are becoming more concernedabout the food they eat and have pressing needs for safe food, heard a forum inHo Chi Minh City.
At the 7th International Food Safety Forum held by the World BankGroup’s International Finance Corporation on November 28-29, World Bank CountryDirector for Vietnam Osmane Dione said Vietnam needs to control the domesticfood market more strictly.
Unsafefood cost Vietnam around 700 million USD a year and left effects on consumers’health and lives, though the country earned 18 billion USD from exporting farmproduce in 2017, according to the official.
He suggested the Vietnamese Government adopt policies to encourage thesustainable production and trade of safe food in the coming time.
Meanwhile, Gabor Fluid, Regional Director of Royal De Heus Asia, said Vietnamneeds better control of food safety standards, and policies to encouragebusinesses and its partners to join in safe food production chains.
New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews shared hat in her country,food safety has been built into a culture and responsibility for all people,from firms, farmers to consumers. If there is a food safety incident, thesuppliers have to accept all responsibility, and face heavy fine.
She described legal regulations and science as the importance for managers tobuild brand names for local food, and control food safety.
The forum, themed “Better Food Safety, Better Business”, brought together key foodindustry insiders from around the world.
How to invest in food safety and develop food safety culture is the highlightof the event.
Participants get involved in discussions and seek solutions to promoting tougherstandards for food supply chain.
The event is held for the first time in Vietnam, where the food industrywitnesses a flourishing average growth of 15 percent, among the strongestgrowers in Asia.-VNA