Is Vinh City's food safety inspection capacity problematic?

(Baonghean.vn) - This is the question raised by the inter-agency inspection team on food safety in Nghe An province after inspecting several food businesses on the afternoon of March 8th.

A joint inter-agency inspection team from Nghe An province inspected Hoa Huong Son goat meat restaurant located right in front of Vinh Train Station, Truong Chinh Street, Vinh City. Photo: Thanh Son.

On the afternoon of March 8th, a joint inter-agency inspection team on food safety in Nghe An province conducted inspections at several hotpot restaurants on Ho Tung Mau street and Hoa Huong Son goat meat restaurant, owned by Mr. Ho Van Hoa, located right in front of Vinh Train Station, Truong Chinh street, Vinh city.

During an on-site inspection at Hoa Huong Son goat meat restaurant, the inter-agency team discovered that the restaurant did not meet environmental hygiene standards, such as failing to separate the toilets from other sources of pollution. This violates Point a, Clause 2, Article 21 of Government Decree 178/2015/ND-CP on administrative penalties for food safety violations.

The area for preparing fresh food, processing, and portioning meals at the restaurant is very cramped. Photo: Thanh Son.

The kitchen area was damp, dusty, and had very poor hygiene conditions. Photo: Thanh Son.

The toilets are located right in the processing area. Photo: Thanh Son.

Upon inspecting the administrative procedures of this business, the team discovered several inconsistencies: The business registration certificate for Ho Van Hoa, issued by the Finance and Planning Department of Vinh City People's Committee, numbered 27A8017369, was first issued on April 4, 2016; however, the food safety certificate was issued by the Health Department on December 28, 2015. This means that the business had been granted a certificate even though it had not yet registered!

Business registration certificate for Ho Van Hoa household, issued by the Finance and Planning Department of Vinh City People's Committee, number 27A8017369, first issued on April 4, 2016. Photo: Thanh Son.

The food safety certificate was issued by the Health Department on December 28, 2015. Photo: Thanh Son.

In addition, the Food Safety Assessment Report for Hoa Huong Son restaurant, compiled by the assessment team consisting of the Health Department and the Vinh City Health Center on December 21, 2015, states: The total floor area of ​​the establishment is 3544 m².²The area for food processing and serving is 120 m².²Assessment: The location is airy, well-ventilated, and the facilities are solid, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. Conclusion: The establishment meets food safety standards.

During the on-site inspection, the total floor area of ​​the facility did not exceed 120 m².²The total area of ​​the food processing and distribution area is less than 10 m².²The facilities are makeshift and severely unsanitary.

The problem is that, despite this fact, in the most recent inspection of this goat meat restaurant on April 11, 2016, the Food Safety and Hygiene Inspection Team of the Vinh City People's Committee still concluded that the establishment complied with food safety and hygiene regulations!

The food safety assessment report for Hoa Huong Son restaurant, dated December 21, 2015, states: The total floor area of ​​the establishment is 3544 m².2The area for food processing and serving is 120 m².2Photo: Thanh Son.

In late February 2017, a joint inter-agency inspection team on food safety in Nghe An province inspected two food service businesses on Le Mao extended street, Vinh Tan ward, which lacked food sample storage cabinets but were still granted food safety certificates by the Health Department and the People's Committee of Vinh City.

After conducting inspections and discovering numerous shortcomings, the inter-agency food safety inspection team of Nghe An province raised the question: Is there a problem with the food safety verification capacity or with the responsibility for implementing state management duties regarding food safety in Vinh City?

Thanh Son