Nghe An deploys many solutions to ensure food safety during Tet

Strengthen inspection

On the morning of January 29, the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team on food safety for the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival season of 2024 in Nghe An province inspected the compliance with food safety regulations at Vinh Hoa Agricultural Processing Village (Hamlet 9, Hop Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh District).

Vinh Hoa village has a long history and tradition of food processing; it has long been famous in and outside the province with the brand name "Banh Chung Vinh Hoa". The craft village was established under Decision No. 2522/QD-UBND of the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district on July 29, 2005. Currently, the craft village has been planned and the district and commune are interested in building a synchronous infrastructure of electricity, internal roads, drainage systems, etc. to serve production and business.

Vinh Hoa craft village has 352 households, of which 178 households participate in the activities of the craft village (158 households directly work in the craft, 154 households make banh chung, banh tet and other types of cakes; 04 households make ham and sausage). The rest participate in other industries, including trading and consuming the village's products. For households making banh chung, there are currently 05 establishments that have been granted food safety certificates by the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district. The craft village has 100 households participating in a food safety training course organized by the Nghe An Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Product Quality Management.

In craft villages, production is a combination of manual and modern technology. Some products such as cu do candy, gai cake, cakes, banh chung, banh da are produced by manual methods. Banh chung and banh tet were previously cooked with honeycomb coal and firewood, but now many large establishments cook them with electric stoves. Banh muot and vermicelli are produced industrially. The main machinery and equipment are rice flour mills, vermicelli making machines, banh muot making machines, and soybean grinding machines for making tofu.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Nghiem - Head of the Front Committee of Hamlet 9 (Vinh Hoa Hamlet): Vinh Hoa agricultural processing village operates year-round. The main products are banh chung, banh tet, gio cha, banh gai, banh da, various kinds of cakes, tofu, banh muot and many other agricultural products. For banh chung, banh tet and gio, production is strongest from the 10th lunar month to the end of the 1st lunar month. On normal days, each household wrapping banh chung consumes an average of 30 kg of raw materials (sticky rice). During Tet from the 20th to the 29th of the 12th lunar month, each household wrapping banh chung consumes an average of 1.5 tons of raw materials per day.

The Vinh Hoa agricultural processing village has now started the Tet season. Households have stocked up on rice, sticky rice, beans, and dong leaves to wrap the cakes. Ms. Phan Thi Tinh - a Hanh Tinh cake and candy producer (Vinh Hoa hamlet) said: Normally, my husband and I still wrap about 500 cakes. The main consumption markets are in Vinh city and Ha Tinh province. This year, the family has received a total of 8,000 orders for Tet banh chung, with many orders from Ho Chi Minh City. To wrap and cook banh chung to serve the orders, the couple will hire more seasonal workers. For the past 2 years, the family has no longer cooked banh chung with a charcoal stove but with an electric pot, with a capacity of 2.5 tons of raw materials/day, equivalent to 2,600 cakes/day.

Inspecting households in Vinh Hoa Agricultural Processing Village, the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team on Food Safety for the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival Season 2024 of Nghe An province found that: All production households ensure good food safety and hygiene conditions. Production materials have clear origins. Most food producers in the village have been trained in basic food safety knowledge. Some households have been granted Certificates of qualified food safety facilities. Products have guaranteed quality.

According to statistics, from January 5, 2024 to present, the provincial Interdisciplinary Inspection Team has inspected 25 establishments, discovering 4 establishments violating the following errors (inadequate shelves, regulations, hygiene procedures; providing food services without a certificate of food safety eligibility). The Team has requested the competent authorities to issue a decision to fine 4 establishments with a total amount of 37 million VND.

Continue to increase awareness

Information from the Interdisciplinary Inspection TeamFood safety during Lunar New YearGiap Thin and the Spring Festival season in 2024 in Nghe An province: This year, awareness and compliance with laws and regulations on ensuring food safety and hygiene of units and individuals producing, processing and trading food have been improved and enhanced. The number of violating establishments has decreased compared to before.

Along with that, localities in the province have actively and proactively implemented Plan No. 01/KH-UBND dated January 2, 2024 of the People's Committee of Nghe An province. Specifically, districts/cities/towns in the province have promptly issued directive documents, organized and implemented food safety activities; effectively implemented food safety propaganda; coordinated well with departments, branches and local police forces to establish and deploy interdisciplinary inspection teams.

Mr. Nguyen Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee said: To ensure food safety and hygiene during the Lunar New Year and festival season, the district has established an inspection team. Up to now, the team has inspected 5 establishments, discovered 2 establishments with violations, and imposed an administrative fine of 5.5 million VND. Before Tet, the district's inspection team will operate until the 30th of Tet. The district directs district and commune inspection teams to inspect all establishments producing and trading food for Tet; ensuring that the food has a clear origin, is safe and of good quality. Along with that, the district also promotes propaganda work to raise people's awareness in purchasing and using safe food, as well as actively cooperating and reporting to authorities establishments that do not ensure food safety and hygiene.

Through inspection and working with the Steering Committee on food safety of localities, the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team on food safety during the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival season of 2024 of Nghe An province highly appreciated the active participation of districts/cities/towns, communes/wards/towns. The team also noted the difficulties and obstacles in implementing food safety work of localities; promptly reminded of the limitations.

Mr. Tran Xuan Hoc - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Head of the interdisciplinary inspection team of Nghe An province stated: During this peak period, localities need to focus on strengthening inspection work, resolutely handling violations; continue to promote this work throughout the festival season. Along with inspection work, it is necessary to promote, organize regularly and continuously propaganda activities, disseminate food safety knowledge to people. From there, food producers can improve their professional ethics, produce according to the correct process, and produce quality products; so that people can become smart consumers, have knowledge and skills in choosing products. Localities also need to pay attention and have solutions to support production households, cooperatives, and craft villages to develop product brands as well as consumption./.