Many businesses violate food safety and hygiene regulations.

(Baonghean.vn) - To ensure a safe Tet holiday for the people, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 149/QD-UBND.VX establishing an inter-agency inspection team to ensure food safety before, during, and after the Lunar New Year of the Goat in 2015. The Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Steering Committee was also requested to supervise the inspection activities of the inter-agency team.

The inter-agency team focused on conducting inspections, checks, and monitoring of goods and food products, especially those widely used during Tet such as meat, meat products, sausages, shops selling alcoholic beverages, cakes, candies, and food service establishments, in order to promptly detect and handle violations of food safety laws, contributing to protecting consumer rights and public health.

A joint inter-agency inspection team checks confectionery businesses in Vinh City.

Initially, the inter-agency inspection team inspected 14 production and business establishments in Vinh City, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, and Nam Dan districts, and Cua Lo town... Through the inspection process, generally, the establishments presented complete documentation as required by regulations on food safety and hygiene. However, many common violations were still found, such as: some establishments had not updated their knowledge of food safety and hygiene according to the prescribed schedule; those involved in production and business lacked awareness and knowledge, leading to unsafe food processing and preservation procedures; and many food items, such as confectionery, lacked clear origins. A quick test conducted at a noodle shop revealed the presence of borax. The team reminded several shops selling alcoholic beverages and confectionery that did not comply with the law and obtained commitments not to trade in smuggled goods, prohibited goods, counterfeit goods, or substandard goods. The inspection team drew up a report and confiscated 222 kg of confectionery of unknown origin, imposing a fine of 15,000,000 VND.

Along with stepping up inspection activities, the team also strengthened communication efforts, reaching out to restaurant owners and production facility owners to raise awareness of the role, responsibility, and importance of facility hygiene, ensuring hygiene in food processing, production, and business areas; equipment, tools, and personal hygiene to prevent food poisoning; guiding establishments to carry out necessary procedures when participating in production and business in accordance with the law; and reminding establishments to conduct health check-ups and training on food safety and hygiene knowledge.

Distinguished physician, Dr. Dao Trong Dung - Head of the Nghe An Food Safety and Hygiene Department, advises: “When shopping, people should choose reputable stores, especially for fresh produce. When handling packaged goods, carefully read the information on the labels. Absolutely do not use products of unknown origin, counterfeit goods, or imitation goods. At the same time, if you discover counterfeit goods, imitation goods, or goods that are unsafe for food hygiene, report it to the relevant authorities for timely handling.”

Thanh Hoa