Will investigate and prosecute a number of typical cases in the field of food safety

According to the draft on strengthening the effectiveness of state management and improving the quality of food safety assurance that the Government Office has just announced, the Prime Minister directs ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, government agencies and Chairmen of provincial and municipal People's Committees to be responsible to the Prime Minister for performing assigned responsibilities.

In this draft directive, the Prime Minister also requested ministries and branches to review legal documents on food safety, promptly amend and supplement current regulations, to meet management requirements, and ensure food safety. Ministers of the ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade shall strengthen inspection and examination, especially surprise inspection and examination of food safety for assigned industries, handle according to their authority and recommend strict handling of violating groups and individuals and agencies and civil servants who are irresponsible and lax in food safety management.

The Ministry of Public Security directs professional forces and local police to grasp the situation of key routes and areas of food safety violations, investigate and prosecute a number of typical cases in the field of food safety according to the provisions of the Penal Code.

Before May 15, the Ministry of Finance shall submit to the Prime Minister a funding plan for food safety management in the direction of allowing localities to proactively use all fines for food safety violations and have additional funding from the state budget to ensure meeting the requirements of this work, especially funding for testing and handling and destroying unsafe food. In the immediate future, the budget will be advanced to ministries, branches and localities to carry out key tasks in 2016.

For localities, the Prime Minister requested People's Committees at all levels to be responsible for ensuring food hygiene and safety in the area; identify ensuring food hygiene and safety as a task that needs to be focused on and prioritized in direction and management. Resolutely handle irresponsible and lax officials and civil servants; prioritize allocating sufficient funding and resources for food safety management and assurance. Propagate and mobilize each farming household, farm owner, and enterprise to implement food hygiene and safety regulations, sign commitments to ensure food hygiene and safety; identify ensuring food safety as a criterion for building new rural areas and cultural residential areas. Focus on directing the construction and development of raw material areas for safe agricultural and food production; promote the widespread application of the VietGAP model and form a safe food distribution system. The draft also requires the ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, Public Security, Border Guard and localities to have appropriate mechanisms (such as hotlines) to receive feedback from the people and the press on food safety violations and handle them strictly and promptly; and to have forms of honor and reward for individuals who discover and provide information on unsafe food production and trading.

In particular, the Prime Minister requested to focus on directing and creating clear changes in four issues in 2016.

The first is the import, production and use of substances and drugs in the production and processing of food. The Prime Minister requested the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade to prescribe a list of prohibited substances in the production and processing of food in the sectors under their management and coordinate with the state management agencies on those substances to include them in the list of substances requiring special control. Focus on thoroughly handling the use of sabutamol, amber, and antibiotics in food production and processing.

Second, the Ministry of Health tightens management of the production, trade, and import of functional foods, ensuring food safety and hygiene, street food, and collective kitchens in industrial zones. The Ministry of Industry and Trade tightens management to prevent the smuggling of fake alcohol and soft drinks of unknown origin.

Third, localities should invest in mobile or fixed measuring equipment at commercial centers and large agricultural markets to help people identify clean and unsafe food; promote the capacity of local measuring centers; and create conditions to promote the development of the clean food distribution system.

Fourth, People's Committees at all levels must seriously implement the direction of the ministries, focus on handling the above groups of issues, inspect and thoroughly handle food safety hotspots that are of public and social concern in the area.

According to SGGP