Handling lax officials in food safety management

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has just signed and issued Directive 13/CT-TTg on strengthening state management responsibility for food safety.

Central interdisciplinary inspection team checks food hygiene and safety at Big C Vinh Supermarket - photo: Thanh Chung.

The Directive clearly states that food safety is an issue that has a major and direct impact on human health and is of concern to society. In recent times, all levels and sectors have made great efforts in managing and ensuring food safety.

Since the Food Safety Law of 2010, ministries and sectors have implemented chain safety management for each product line, in accordance with international practices and overcoming the situation of slicing and overlapping.

However, food safety violations are still complicated, causing anxiety and frustration in society. The main reason is that many localities have not paid attention and focused on food safety management, and have been slow to detect and handle violations in a timely manner...

In order to promote responsibility, strengthen the effectiveness of state management, create positive changes in management work, and ensure food safety, the Prime Minister requests Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Government agencies and Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to seriously and fully implement their responsibilities in food safety management, and be responsible to the Prime Minister for the implementation of assigned responsibilities.

Handling officials who are lax in food safety management

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested the Ministers of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade to strengthen inspection and examination work, especially surprise inspection and examination of food safety for assigned industries, strictly manage materials related to food safety, promptly resolve food safety incidents; handle according to authority or recommend strict handling of violating collectives and individuals and agencies and civil servants who lack responsibility and lax 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 criminally handle serious violations in the field of food safety according to the provisions of law.

Before May 20, the Ministry of Finance shall submit to the Prime Minister a funding plan for food safety management in the direction of allowing localities to use all fines for administrative violations of food safety and, if deemed truly urgent, supplement funding from the state budget to meet the requirements of this work, especially funding for inspection, testing, technical equipment, and handling and destroying unsafe food; organizations and individuals who violate the law must pay the cost of handling and destroying unsafe food.

In the immediate future, 90% of the central budget expenditure estimate for 2016 has been allocated to the food safety project under the Health - Population Target Program so that ministries, branches and localities can carry out food safety tasks in 2016.

The Prime Minister requested People's Committees at all levels to be responsible for ensuring food hygiene and safety in their localities; identify ensuring food hygiene and safety as an urgent task that requires focused direction and management; prioritize the allocation of sufficient funding and resources for food management and safety assurance; in the immediate future, proactively allocate funding corresponding to the amount of fines collected for administrative violations of food safety from the local budget according to the provisions of the State Budget Law to invest in technical equipment and the work of inspection, testing, and handling and destruction of unsafe food.

The Chairman of the People's Committee at the higher level directly directs and regularly urges and inspects the compliance with food safety laws by lower-level state agencies; resolutely handles irresponsible and lax officials and civil servants. Leaders at all levels from commune to province must take responsibility for violations of food safety laws in their localities.

Developing a safe food distribution system

Following the direction of the Prime Minister, localities propagate and mobilize each farming household, farm owner, and enterprise to implement regulations on ensuring food hygiene and safety, and sign commitments to ensure food hygiene and safety. Organizations and individuals in production and business must publicize production and business processes to ensure food safety and hygiene. Ensuring food safety is determined 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, other safe production models, and develop a safe food distribution system.

Localities invest in mobile or fixed measuring equipment at commercial centers and large agricultural markets, guide and help people identify safe and unsafe food; promote the capacity of measuring centers in the area.

The Prime Minister requested press agencies, first of all central, provincial and municipal press agencies, to increase news articles, columns, pages and programs on food safety; provide objective, honest and timely information and propaganda on safe food, especially typical examples of safe food production, processing and circulation and food safety violations.

The Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, Public Security, Border Guard and localities 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; have forms of honor and reward for individuals who discover and provide information on unsafe food production and trading.

Ensuring the safety of fresh foods and consumer foods

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested to focus on directing and creating clear changes in 2016 to ensure safety and hygiene for fresh foods and foods consumed in people's daily lives.

The Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the National Steering Committee 389, customs, border guards, market management forces and localities must strengthen forces and increase inspection, control, prevention and strict handling of smuggling, circulation and trading of unsafe fresh foods of unknown origin.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade strengthens management to prevent smuggled fake and poor quality alcohol and soft drinks, commercial fraud in circulation and business; ensures food safety and hygiene in markets, supermarkets and shopping centers.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade to prescribe a list of prohibited substances in food production and processing in the sectors under their management and coordinate with state management agencies on such substances to include them in the list of substances requiring special control; focus on thoroughly handling the use of sabutamol, ammonium nitrate, and antibiotics in animal husbandry, food production, and processing.

The Ministry of Health tightens management of the production, trading, and import of functional foods, preservatives, and food additives and directs localities to ensure food hygiene and safety in eating and drinking, street food, and collective kitchens in industrial parks, tourist areas, festivals, and major events./.