Clarifying authority and responsibility in ensuring food safety before and in schools

Question and answer session on state management of food safety; prevention, control and handling of violations in transporting and trading smuggled goods of unknown origin; planning, model conversion, investment, construction, business, exploitation and management of markets in Nghe An province; in addition to the answers of departments and branches, based on the request of comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Director of Nghe An Department of Health Nguyen Thi Hong Hoa answered questions, clarifying authority and responsibility in ensuring food safety.

The Director of Nghe An Department of Health said: In the state management of food safety and hygiene, there are 3 sectors: Health, Agriculture - Rural Development and Industry and Trade. And in 33 groups of management categories, there are 6 groups under the management responsibility of the Health sector.

Implementing state management of food safety is the Law on Food Safety and Decree No. 15 of the Government detailing a number of articles of the Law on Food Safety; Nghe An has Decision No. 11, dated May 20, 2021 on assignment, decentralization and coordination of state management of food safety.

Accordingly, the assignment and decentralization of food safety management in front of school gates and hospitals belongs to the People's Committees at the commune level; food safety management in schools is decentralized to the People's Committees at the district level.

The Director of Nghe An Department of Health also informed: Currently, in the province, there are more than 1,000 collective kitchens and boarding kitchens in factories, industrial parks, schools and hospitals serving a large number of workers, students, staff, patients and patients' relatives; of which more than 600 collective kitchens in schools are under the management of the district-level People's Committee.

Regarding the responsibility of the Department of Health, based on the management function within the assigned scope and as the Standing agency of the Provincial Food Safety Steering Committee; every year the Department of Health has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a plan to implement food safety work; organize the launching ceremony of the Month of Action for Food Safety in localities with large populations and food safety risks, associated with launching and propagating to raise awareness and sense of responsibility of the people.

The Provincial Food Safety Steering Committee is regularly strengthened and at the district and commune levels, a Food Safety Steering Committee is also established to carry out direction tasks according to the decentralization according to Decision No. 11 of the Provincial People's Committee.

Propaganda, training, inspection and supervision activities on food safety are directed by steering committees at all levels, including inspection of state management and inspection of food safety assurance at production and business establishments.

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Regarding school kitchens, in 2023, the Health sector coordinated with relevant sectors to inspect 60 school kitchens; of which 3 units were found to be in violation and fined 16 million VND. In the first 6 months of 2024, 37 school kitchens were inspected, 3 establishments were found to be in violation, and 12 million VND was fined.

At the same time, the Health sector also regularly monitors the state management work at the district level for collective kitchens, including directly taking samples from school kitchens; building 200 models with food safety control in collective kitchens.

Regarding food poisoning management, from 2023 to now, thanks to good propaganda work combined with inspection and supervision, there have been few major poisoning cases in the province. In 2023, there was only 1 food poisoning case at the kitchen of Thuan Son Kindergarten (Do Luong district) with 76 children infected and in 2024 there was 1 food poisoning case at the collective kitchen of MLB Tenergy Company Limited (Yen Thanh district) with 72 people infected.

When poisoning cases were detected, the health sector coordinated with other sectors and local authorities to promptly deploy measures to ensure health safety for students and workers.

3 groups of issues to focus on

However, Director of the Department of Health Nguyen Thi Hong Hoa also admitted that in ensuring the safety of people's lives and health related to food safety, there are still many issues that the health sector sees as needing more attention and effort.

In the coming time, as the Standing Office of the Provincial Food Safety Steering Committee, the Health sector will continue to perform well the assigned tasks according to the plan and direction. In particular, continue to promote communication, training, and guidance on knowledge of regulations to ensure food safety, prevent food poisoning for subjects on food hygiene, personal hygiene, safety in choosing, preserving, processing and using food.

Further strengthen the inspection, supervision and post-inspection work to ensure food safety at collective kitchens according to the management hierarchy. Strengthen the activities of mass organizations in supervision at collective kitchens of schools and enterprises.

To better ensure food safety for people, the Director of Nghe An Department of Health recommends continuing to direct the strengthening of the role and responsibility of sectors and levels, and the awareness of the people is very important. In addition to the responsibility of the health sector, special attention should be paid to monitoring the process of safe food production, processing, and safe preservation.