Enhancing accountability in food safety and hygiene management.

(Baonghean.vn) - On February 11th, the Provincial People's Committee held a conference to summarize food safety work in 2014 and implement the plan for 2015. Ms. Dinh Thi Le Thanh, Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, chaired the conference.

Attending the conference were Comrade Bui Dinh Long, Provincial Party Committee member and Director of the Department of Health, leaders of the Departments of Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development, the Provincial Police, the Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department, and the Market Management Department…

Comrade Dinh Thi Le Thanh chaired the meeting.

In 2014, through inspections by functional forces, hundreds of food safety violations were discovered. The environmental police alone detected 70 violations, imposing administrative fines totaling 310 million VND, destroying 845 kg of counterfeit MSG, over 3.4 tons of confectionery, over 53 tons of poultry, 252 tons of livestock meat, over 24 tons of yeast, over 4.6 tons of animal organs, and 14,000 bottles of growth stimulants, etc.

Comrade Bui Dinh Long, Director of the Nghe An Department of Health, delivered a speech.

The Provincial Market Management Department detected and handled 194 violations, collecting a total of 817 million VND in fines. In the three months leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), the Market Management Department handled 66 violations, including the destruction of 195 kg of animal organs and 34,000 poultry eggs of unknown origin.

In 2014, the province experienced 7 food poisoning incidents, affecting 53 people and resulting in 4 deaths. The number of mass food poisoning incidents increased compared to 2013.

At the conference, representatives from provincial agencies and departments discussed and highlighted several issues and shortcomings regarding the implementation of the Food Safety and Hygiene Law.

Representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development warned that while people have long talked about the problem of contaminated vegetables and meat, the agricultural sector is now also advising people about contaminated rice. Through inspection and testing, the agricultural sector has discovered a large amount of contaminated rice, including rice containing preservatives not permitted for food use, and rice dyed to appear fragrant instead of fragrant.

Representatives from the Provincial People's Committee Office stated that communication efforts regarding food safety and hygiene have not been given sufficient attention. Local authorities at all levels, especially at the commune and ward levels, have not prioritized or enhanced their role and responsibility in managing food quality and safety.

Mr. Dao Trong Dung, Head of the Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department, reported on the situation in 2014.

Delegates attending the Conference.

According to Mr. Bui Dinh Long, Director of the Nghe An Department of Health, during inspections, violations of food hygiene and safety were found to be widespread in collective kitchens and food stalls in many markets in Vinh City, especially Vinh Market. The problem of food of unknown origin is prevalent in Vinh Market. This is a wholesale market supplying goods to most distributors in the province, yet it has not been addressed… The Health Department recommends that the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns be held directly responsible for ensuring food safety and hygiene, and that this be included as a criterion for year-end evaluation. Without assigning responsibility and relying solely on the activities of inspection teams, it will be very difficult to control the situation.

Colonel Lu Van Tuong, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Provincial Police, said that the police force has implemented specialized programs to combat various violations and crimes in the field of food hygiene and safety. During the course of their work, the police force found that quantifying and qualitatively identifying harmful substances was difficult; to prosecute criminally, they needed to trace the consequences and harm caused by the violating food products.

Comrade Dinh Thi Le Thanh concluded the conference.

Concluding the conference, Ms. Dinh Thi Le Thanh affirmed that in 2014, although there were still cases of counterfeit food, food of unknown origin, and food that did not meet food safety and hygiene standards, it could be seen that functional agencies had improved their responsibility and operational efficiency, and people's awareness of ensuring food safety and hygiene was gradually improving. In the coming time, functional agencies need to continue to strengthen food safety and hygiene inspections during the Lunar New Year and during spring festivals and tourist seasons. This should focus on food items that are heavily consumed during holidays and festivals, and inspections of livestock and poultry slaughterhouses, etc.

During inspections, it is necessary to resolutely handle violations and strengthen the responsibility of local authorities at all levels, especially the heads of departments. In addition, it is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns to improve people's understanding of food safety and hygiene. Implementing food safety communication campaigns and providing information to consumers will help them become truly smart consumers…

Nguyen Khoa