Initiatives made to guarantee production and commerce of clean food

To mitigate the risk of food poisoning, Binh Duong will conduct both regular and unannounced inspections of food production and trading establishments. To address violations rigorously, the relevant authorities will decisively suspend operations, revoke operating licenses, and refer establishments that commit serious and repeated infractions to investigative agencies for prosecution. 

The stringent oversight 

As an industrially advanced province, Binh Duong attracts numerous individuals from across the nation for residence, education, and employment, resulting in a substantial demand for goods and food. Consequently, food production and trading activities have surged, heightening the risk of substandard products infiltrating the market, thereby jeopardizing consumer rights and health. Recently, authorities have collaborated to conduct inspections, uncovering several instances of food storage and sales that fail to meet safety standards. Among the items identified were frozen ground chicken, dried chicken feet, duck feet, crab sticks, and jelly tubes.

According to the assessment, despite the recent implementation of numerous solutions by various sectors and levels within the province to prevent the circulation of contaminated food in the market, such products continue to be present in certain areas. To address this issue, the Provincial Food Safety Steering Committee has conducted a series of food safety inspections at the provincial, district, and city levels since the beginning of the year.

Consequently, the Steering Committee formed 134 inspection teams to evaluate 998 establishments, resulting in the identification of 110 food production, processing, and trading entities that were in violation of hygiene standards, equipment conditions, and human resource regulations. The teams imposed fines on 35 establishments, totaling over 262 million VND, mandated the cessation of operations for 7 establishments, and issued warnings to 68 establishments.

No leniency for breaches 

In addressing the risks associated with food safety and hygiene, Mr. Vo Van Minh, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, recently issued a directive urging departments, branches, and the People's Committees of districts and cities to enhance food safety measures and prevent foodborne illnesses within the region. Consequently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Department of Industry and Trade, and the Provincial Market Management Department are instructed to collaborate actively with the Department of Health to facilitate both routine and unannounced inter-sectoral inspections to ensure compliance with food safety regulations for production and trading establishments.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong, Deputy Head of the Provincial Food Safety Steering Committee, stated that in accordance with Official Dispatch 1277/UBND-VX from the Provincial People's Committee, the health sector has devised a plan to collaborate with relevant agencies to enhance inspections of food production and trading establishments within the province. "With the objective of rigorously addressing violations of food safety regulations as stipulated by law, inspection teams will suspend operations, revoke certificates from establishments that do not meet food safety standards, and rescind business registration certificates; they will also recall and manage unsafe foods and those posing a risk of food poisoning. Particularly for establishments with serious and repeated infractions, the province will refer these cases to the investigative agency; violations by organizations and individuals involved in food production and trading will be made public to promptly alert the community," Mr. Nguyen Hong Chuong emphasized.

In this inspection campaign, the province's interdisciplinary teams will concentrate on evaluating livestock farms, slaughterhouses for both livestock and poultry, wholesale markets, and supermarkets. They will also assess establishments involved in the production and trade of meat, fish, vegetables, tubers, fruits, tea, jams, cakes, candies, alcohol, food additives, and processing aids, as well as those producing and trading soft drinks and ice. Additionally, food service establishments and street food vendors will be included in the inspections.

Reported by Kim Ha - Translated by Vi Bao