Choosing safe food in the context of African swine fever

Persistent development

According to data from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Nghe An province, as of mid-September 2025, the whole province still had about 50 outbreaks of African swine fever, mainly concentrated in the communes of Yen Xuan, Dai Dong, Kim Bang, Anh Son, Anh Son Dong...

From July 1 to September 15, the entire province had to destroy about 2,000 tons of diseased pigs. This is a significant loss for farmers, and at the same time, it puts great pressure on the authorities in preventing the disease from spreading widely.

Although the province has administered 5,000 doses of vaccine and distributed 18,000 liters of disinfectants to localities with peak epidemics, this number is still modest compared to the scale of the herd and the rapid spread of the epidemic.

There are many reasons why African swine fever is still persistent and difficult to completely control. One of the current difficulties is that the grassroots veterinary team is still lacking, many communes do not have enough human resources to take on the task of collecting samples for testing, transporting, destroying, and being on duty at checkpoints. In addition, limited reserve funds make the organization of epidemic prevention often passive and patchy.

In addition, the low awareness of some people has also caused the disease to recur many times. Mr. Le The Hieu - Vice Chairman of Minh Chau Commune People's Committee said: Recently, the locality has tightened measures to prevent and control African swine fever, however, the situation of dumping pig carcasses into the environment, in canals or not reporting sick and dead pigs still occurs, causing the risk of recurrence and spread of the disease. Many people are still subjective and indifferent to this dangerous disease.

Be a smart consumer

In the context of African swine fever not yet being completely controlled, choosing safe food, especially pork, has become an urgent issue. Because pork is still a familiar food in the daily meals of families. If people are not alert and accidentally use meat from unsafe sources, the risk of affecting health and at the same time, contributing to the consumption of sick pigs is very high.

Ms. Bui Thi Thuyet, a resident of Truong Vinh ward, shared: “Pork is a daily dish for my family. But following the media, seeing that the epidemic has not cooled down, we are very worried. Currently, we only dare to buy pigs sent by relatives in the countryside, knowing the origin, and do not dare to buy on the street or at the market. I hope the authorities will have more instructions so that people know how to identify and choose safe food.”

Sharing about this issue, Mr. Tran Vo Ba - Deputy Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Nghe An province said: "Before being brought to the slaughterhouse, pigs must have a negative test certificate for disease, accompanied by a clear purchase invoice to trace the origin. Veterinary staff directly clinically examine each pig, if any abnormal signs are detected, they will be immediately eliminated and not allowed to be slaughtered. Only when all these steps meet the requirements, will the pig be brought to the slaughterhouse. After that, the product will be stamped with a quarantine stamp and issued a safety certificate before being put on the market for consumption. When buying meat, people need to pay attention to the quarantine stamp on the pig's body, because this is the most important legal and technical basis to confirm that the meat has passed veterinary control".

Authorities also recommend that people should only buy food at reputable stores, supermarkets, and shopping centers. Here, the quality control process is strictly implemented from the import, cold storage, classification to sale. Imported meat must have full quarantine documents, be stored in a clean environment, and at the right temperature. When buying, consumers can also easily observe the labels, traceability stamps, and expiration dates to feel secure in their choices.

If you detect any unusual signs such as a piece of meat with a strange color, an unusual smell, a watery or slimy surface, consumers should absolutely not buy it. In addition, you need to be alert to the psychology of wanting cheap things because in many cases, pork sold at a lower price than the market price is often due to unknown origin, and may even come from sick pigs. It is the careless choices of some buyers that have unintentionally contributed to dirty meat, making it more difficult to prevent and control epidemics.

Mr. Nham Sy Thanh - Director of Lotte Mart Vinh supermarket said: "We strictly control all items, especially pork and fresh food. On average, the supermarket consumes about 100 kg of pork per day, both fresh meat and processed products. All products must have a negative test certificate and a clear origin before being imported and displayed on shelves. During the epidemic period, consumption even doubled because people trust the quality control process of the unit."

Besides opinions from authorities and distributors, many small traders also expressed their desire for a clear management mechanism so they can do business with peace of mind.

Ms. Hoang Thi Lan - a pork trader at Vinh Ga market said: "Not only buyers but also sellers like us are very worried. If we import meat that is not guaranteed, we will lose customers and risk being fined. Therefore, I only dare to get goods from centralized slaughterhouses with full quarantine papers. Although the import price is a bit higher, in return, customers trust us and come back to buy regularly. I think the authorities should increase propaganda on how to identify quality pork so that consumers can feel secure, not turn their backs on pork, and stabilize the market."

African swine fever is posing many big challenges for Nghe An, from breeding, slaughtering to consumption. In the joint efforts of the government and functional forces, each citizen needs to promote the role of the final "gatekeeper", making smart choices and safe consumption. When people are alert and clear-headed in every purchasing decision, their own health and the community's health will be protected, at the same time, contributing significantly to repelling the epidemic that has been persistent since the beginning of the year.