5 simple tips for choosing safe candies and snacks for Tet (Lunar New Year).

According to the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health), due to the surge in food consumption during Tet (Lunar New Year), especially for essential food items such as meat, sausages, jams, candies, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks, the Tet food market always presents opportunities for counterfeit, imitation, and substandard goods to circulate and deceive consumers.

People should be very cautious about brightly colored foods because these products may contain artificial colorings and additives that are harmful to health.

Be careful with brightly colored candies and sweets.

Therefore, the Food Safety Administration advises consumers to be careful when choosing and using food to protect their own health and that of their families. The basic principle is to choose food with clear origin, production date, and expiration date, with complete labeling information, free from mold and spoilage, and without unpleasant odors.

People also need to be very cautious with brightly colored foods because these products may contain artificial colors and additives that are harmful to health.

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More importantly, people need to proactively cooperate with authorities when they discover suspected counterfeit or fake food products, as well as food production, processing, and trading establishments that do not meet food safety standards. This will allow authorities (such as market management agencies, the Department of Industry and Trade, and local governments) to take timely measures to inspect, monitor, and prevent such activities.

How to choose delicious candies and sweets

Confectionery falls under the category of food products that are generally required to meet food safety standards. Specifically, products circulating in the market must declare compliance with food safety regulations at the competent health authority.

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Therefore, when choosing confectionery for the Lunar New Year, the Food Safety Department advises people to:

1 - Choose confectionery products that have been certified as compliant with food safety regulations (check the label for the symbol: (serial number)/(year of issuance by the Ministry of Health + abbreviated name of province/city - XNCB)).

2. Choose confectionery from reputable brands with clear origins, avoiding counterfeit products that imitate the design and brand.

3. Carefully examine the information on the packaging of confectionery (place of manufacture, production date, expiration date, ingredients, storage instructions).

4 - When buying gift baskets, pay attention to the quality of the candies and cookies inside. It's best to choose the candies and cookies yourself and ask the shop owner to arrange them into a gift basket.

5 - To celebrate Tet safely and ensure the health of yourself and your family, every citizen should be mindful to choose and consume food from establishments with fixed locations, clear addresses, a good reputation, and that are licensed to sell food and fully comply with regulations on food business conditions.

According to Health & Life