Unsafe food and a "clean" conscience.

(Baonghean) - According to data from the Vietnam Cancer Society, in the 1990s, the number of cancer cases in Vietnam was low, around 70,000 per year. By the period of 2010-2015, approximately 150,000 people were diagnosed with cancer each year (double the previous period). It is projected that by 2020, Vietnam will have around 200,000 cancer cases annually, making it one of the countries with the fastest cancer incidence rates.

According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of cancer cases are caused by external environmental factors, with tobacco and unsafe food being the main culprits. A member of parliament once stated: "Never before has the road from the stomach to the graveyard been so short." There is no more heartbreaking warning.

The problem of contaminated food has persisted for decades, and instead of being stopped, it has become increasingly dangerous. Initially, it was just vegetables sprayed with pesticides and fruits preserved with chemicals. Today, contaminated food is everywhere; wherever food is sold, there are harmful substances. Chemicals such as growth hormones, stimulants, pesticides, preservatives, and anti-mold agents are used indiscriminately and in inappropriate dosages, poisoning the food that people eat every day. The technology for processing and consuming contaminated food has reached a sophisticated level that is difficult to detect. Rotten animal organs are treated with chemicals to transform them into fresh-looking food. Rotten beef, after being treated with chemicals, is transformed into seemingly fresh beef. Pork from dead pigs is processed with additives into sausages, ham, and fillings for pastries. From slaughterhouses to food processing facilities, the filth is beyond reproach.

Binh Phu Market in Thach That (Thuong Tin district, Hanoi) is the hub for meat from dead pigs. Dead pigs are brought here and sold at "super cheap" prices, then pan-fried, fried, roasted, or processed into various dried food products sold throughout the markets. Binh Luong village, Tan Quang commune, Van Lam district, Hung Yen province, has long been famous for its pork rind production (dried pork skin that is then puffed into crispy pieces to make the traditional dish called "bong," a popular dish). Pork rind, rendered fat, and pork cracklings from Binh Luong dominate the domestic market. However, today, Binh Luong has become a "village of dirty fat," with products processed in filthy, unsanitary environments and transported by truck for sale everywhere. In Thach That, there is also a market selling meat from dead pigs that operates at night, known as the "underworld market." In Nghe An province, authorities have discovered large quantities of bamboo shoots treated with yellow dye, thousands of bottles of counterfeit foreign liquor, and many trucks carrying food products of unknown origin.

The fight against unsafe food is being waged with a full-scale effort. At the "macro" level, four ministries (Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Science and Technology, and Natural Resources and Environment) are jointly managing food safety and hygiene. The standing army includes market management forces, environmental police, customs, border guards, and local authorities. The "say no to unsafe food" campaign is being launched with extensive public awareness campaigns. People are coping with unsafe food in various ways: buying clean vegetables at supermarkets, growing their own vegetables in styrofoam boxes, and searching for safe food in rural areas. But, like an octopus's tentacles, unsafe food is everywhere. Consumers can only sigh and think, "Eating it will kill you, not eating it will kill you."

Why is contaminated food flooding the market without being stopped? This pressing problem has many causes. Food producers and businesses prioritize profit, disregarding the health and lives of the community. Local authorities are indifferent to controlling contaminated food, leaving it to the relevant agencies. Most consumers are complacent about protecting their health, underestimating the harm of contaminated food. The root cause of all these problems is profit. For profit, people are willing to do anything, regardless of the health and lives of the community. For profit, they are willing to sell the most toxic products to consumers. Profit has blinded the conscience of those who produce and sell contaminated food.

To prevent the problem of unsafe food, it is necessary to tighten management at every stage related to people's daily meals. But the most fundamental issue remains awakening people's consciences to live for their fellow human beings. To eliminate unsafe food, we must first have a "clean" conscience.

Tran Hong Co