As food safety is one of Hanoi's top priorities, the annual Food Safety Action Month is expected to help raise public awareness of the issue among all families and businesses in the capital.
| Officials from the Hanoi municipal government inspecting a farm in the Thach That district. Photo: Trong Tung/The Hanoi Times |
During the Action Month for Food Safety 2024 [April 15-May 15], the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development launched an inspection in several districts of the city and found that there are still issues that need to be addressed to ensure food safety in the capital.
In Thach That district, home to many handicraft villages, the local authorities are always focused and determined to deal with food safety violations.
According to district health director Vuong Thi Ngoc Dien, more than 400 out of some 2,150 local businesses have been inspected for food hygiene since the beginning of the year.
As a result of the inspection, 11 establishments were found to be in violation of food hygiene regulations, eight of which are local restaurants and food vendors. They were fined a total of VND75 million (US$2,950).
In Quoc Oai, the local government has inspected 502 businesses this year, according to district economic director Nguyen Quang Tham. Of these, 21 were found to have failed to comply with food safety regulations and were fined a total of VND79 million ($3,100). The district now has more than 2,430 food producers, local restaurants and food vendors, most of them family businesses.
According to local authorities, there are several reasons for the existing violations of food safety standards. Phung Khac Son, deputy chairman of Thach That district's People's Committee, pointed to lax enforcement of food hygiene regulations due to a lack of professional staff. So far, local government officials have been monitoring food hygiene as a sideline to their regular duties.
| Hanoi officials inspect a local jelly producer in Hoai Duc District. Photo: Ha Linh/The Hanoi Times |
The thirst for profit also drives local business owners to ignore the rules and engage in illegal and unethical practices in their operations, he said.
These local businesses are small, and their operations are not always in active mode during the year, making it hard for local officials to check, Son added.
Nguyen Dinh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said ensuring food hygiene is a critical task.
"The city government is very serious about this because it has a direct impact on people's health," he said during the field trips.
He also praised local governments for their efforts to ensure food safety standards.
"The districts and local communes have done a good job of communicating with people and businesses about food safety regulations."
Ho urged district and commune authorities to organize more training courses to improve the skills and knowledge of their staff and local businesses on food safety.
He also called on local governments to conduct regular inspections of local facilities, collect food samples for testing, and issue early warnings of potential violations to raise public awareness of the issue.
