Establish 8 food inspection teams during Tet
The Food Safety Department stated that Lunar New Year is an occasion when the whole population consumes a lot of food, including both quantity and type.
Therefore, to ensure food safety for people during this occasion, the Central Steering Committee on Food Safety and Hygiene has established 8 food inspection teams in 24 provinces and cities nationwide.
Interdisciplinary inspection forces inspect Dong Xuan market. (Photo: VNA)
In addition, each locality also needs to establish interdisciplinary inspection teams, focusing on strictly inspecting products consumed in large quantities during the Lunar New Year.
From January 10, 2013 to February 15, 2013, the Central Inter-sectoral Inspection Teams conducted inspections at assigned locations; Localities conducted inspections at facilities under their management.
The inspection and examination aims to promptly detect, prevent and handle violations of food safety, limit food poisoning and food-borne diseases.
Eight interdisciplinary delegations will conduct inspections in 24 key provinces and cities including: Lang Son, Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, Hanoi, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Tien Giang...
The subjects inspected by the authorities are all establishments producing, processing, trading, and importing food, focusing on establishments producing and trading food items that are widely used during the Lunar New Year such as meat, meat products, beer, wine, soft drinks, cakes, jams, candies, etc. and food service establishments.
In particular, central and provincial delegations focus on inspecting and examining establishments that produce, trade, and import food in large quantities, wholesale markets, supermarkets, and commercial centers. For small and medium-sized food establishments and food service establishments, inspections and examinations are mainly carried out by district and commune levels.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Deputy Director of the Food Safety Department, said that during the inspection, the department will pay special attention to checking whether the people directly involved in food production are in good health to participate in production or not. Production facilities that have people directly involved in food production without health certificates or regular health check-ups will be punished.
At food production, processing, trading and import establishments, the inspection team will focus on checking food safety certificates, standard declaration records, product labels, origin of raw materials and food additives; food preservation processes and water sources used for food processing will be inspected and monitored.
When detecting violations, inspection and examination teams must promptly handle them in accordance with regulations, absolutely not allowing unsafe products, products of unknown origin, products without labels or other violations to circulate on the market or production, business and food service establishments that do not ensure food safety conditions to continue operating without effective remedial measures./
(According to Vietnam+)-LC
