Food safety and hygiene: Post-inspection work is still on paper
(Baonghean) - In April and May 2017, the province had 6 cases of poisoning with a series of people being hospitalized. If the 4 cases of poisoning due to eating naturally toxic plants, tubers and fruits were due to poor medical communication, then the 2 cases of poisoning in collective kitchens at 2 enterprises with 100% Korean investment capital were due to ineffective state management and food safety inspection capacity.
Operating without a license
On April 1, 2017, public opinion was stirred by the food poisoning incident at the BSE Vietnam Electronics Company Limited (Nam Cam Industrial Park, Nghi Loc District) that caused 50 workers to be hospitalized for treatment. Notably, Brothers Vietnam Joint Stock Company - the unit providing meals for BSE Vietnam Electronics Company Limited - is a new contractor that has just signed a contract to replace the old contractor, which does not have a certificate of food safety and hygiene but is still operating. The lunch on April 1, 2017 was the first meal provided by Brothers Vietnam Joint Stock Company.
| Workers at BSE Vietnam Electronics Co., Ltd. suffered from food poisoning and had to be treated at 115 General Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son |
After the poisoning incident, representatives of the health sector, the Southeast Economic Zone, leaders of the People's Committee, the Police, the Nghi Loc District Health Department and the Nghi Xa Commune People's Committee came to investigate and find out information about the incident. However, the initial verification and inspection encountered many difficulties due to obstacles from the food supplier. The authorities approached the kitchen to conduct a field investigation and took 12 samples for testing (including 7 food samples, 2 milk samples, 1 orange sample, 1 drinking water sample and 1 water sample used to prepare food) and 16 air samples. These samples were then sent to domestic laboratories. More than a week after the poisoning incident, the returned tests showed that no toxins were found in the food and air samples. Therefore, the cause of the poisoning has not yet been found.
The most recent case of food poisoning occurred at the Hitexvina Garment Factory, HI-TEX Company Limited (Nghia My Industrial Park, Thai Hoa Town) on May 22, 2017, causing 70 people to be hospitalized. Like the kitchen of BSE Vietnam Electronics Company, the kitchen of this company has not been granted a food safety certificate. At the meeting with HI-TEX Company Limited held on the afternoon of May 22, the People's Committee of Thai Hoa Town requested the company to immediately stop the operation of the collective kitchen from the evening of May 22 until there is a conclusion from the competent authority on the cause of the poisoning and it is assessed to meet the requirements according to the regulations on food service establishments.
This is not the first time the HI-TEX Company Limited’s canteen has been asked to stop operating. About 2 weeks before the mass poisoning incident, a working group from the Nghe An Food Safety and Hygiene Department came to assess the company’s canteen, however, the canteen did not meet the conditions for a food safety certificate. According to regulations, the group requested the company to stop the canteen and complete the standards before being allowed to operate, but in reality the company still did not comply.
On May 18, the collective kitchen of HI-TEX Company Limited was once again suspended by the interdisciplinary inspection team of Thai Hoa town due to failing to meet 16/32 food hygiene and safety criteria. Despite being requested to stop operations twice, the collective kitchen of HI-TEX Company Limited is still operating to serve workers!
Post-inspection work is still on the "desk"
The reality of the two above-mentioned cases of food poisoning in collective kitchens has shown a lack of awareness and responsibility from many sides. The management, guidance, support, post-inspection, and capacity of functional agencies and local authorities are still inadequate; the effectiveness of regulations and decisions have not been implemented. Along with that, the awareness of law compliance of the catering units in ensuring food safety is very poor.
| The interdisciplinary inspection delegation of Nghe An province inspected food production, processing and trading establishments. Photo: Thanh Son |
The lack of awareness and responsibility of a number of localities, agencies and professional staff on food safety issues was also discussed at the meeting on the results of 1 year of implementing Directive No. 13 of the Prime Minister on "Strengthening the responsibility of state management on food safety" held on the afternoon of May 16 and the regular meeting of the People's Committee of Nghe An province in May 2017. Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province, Vuong Quang Minh, stated: "In the past year, the Fatherland Front Committees at all levels and associations and organizations have vigorously launched the movement to say no to dirty food, creating a strong response from the people. However, the monitoring opinions from the grassroots have not been thoroughly compiled and processed. The authorities at all levels and sectors have conducted many inspections and checks, but have not clearly announced them in the media to let people know and buy food at good addresses, avoiding bad addresses".
| Analyzing the lack of responsibility in another aspect, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan - Deputy Head of the Culture - Social Committee of the Provincial People's Council commented: "Currently, the whole province has 18,143/20,808 establishments that have been granted Certificates, committed to meeting food safety conditions, accounting for 87.2%. Many certificates have been granted, but how many establishments have been given specific instructions, field inspections and post-issuance inspections? For example, in Vinh city, interdisciplinary delegations and the Public Security sector discovered violations wherever they inspected, showing that the work of granting certificates and post-inspections is still on the "desk". Inspection and examination work in general is not good when districts, cities, towns and communes, wards and towns conduct many inspections but the results of handling are very light, not deterrent. |
Currently, the work of food safety inspection and control is facing many difficulties in detecting and handling violations, specifically: Rapid testing measures for chemical residues in food are only for guidance purposes and are not considered evidence for handling. To accurately detect and have a basis for handling violations, samples need to be tested in laboratories, but the capacity of laboratories in Vietnam can only find a few types of specified substances. In addition, Nghe An currently does not have a standard cold storage to store food while waiting for test results.
| Students of Nghi Hoa Primary School (Cua Lo Town) were poisoned after eating seeds of a parasol tree growing right in the school. Photo: Thanh Son |
At the meeting to evaluate the results of 1 year of implementing Directive No. 13 of the Prime Minister, comrade Le Minh Thong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Deputy of the Interdisciplinary Steering Committee on Food Safety of Nghe An province directed: "It is not allowed to let dirty food spread because of difficulties; all levels and sectors need to step up guidance, inspection and supervision right from the initial stages of production and transportation. All levels and functional sectors need to enhance their responsibility in State management of food hygiene and safety; strictly handle and do not be lenient with violators; step up propaganda to change people's awareness, only then can food hygiene and safety issues be sustainably improved".
| Comrade Le Minh Thong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee: "Whether or not the issue of food safety and hygiene has changed depends largely on the management, inspection and rectification work of the grassroots level. However, I see that many communes, wards and towns have not taken good action, and there is even a phenomenon of covering up violations. In addition, inspection has not been accompanied by rectification and guidance, and there is a phenomenon of officials causing difficulties for establishments in the work of inspection and granting certificates, with some establishments having to receive up to 7 food safety inspection teams in 1 year." |
Thanh Son
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