Ensuring food safety and hygiene during Mid-Autumn Festival

During the Mid-Autumn Festival 2024, Thanh Hoa City People's Committee has developed a plan and directed the organization of interdisciplinary inspection teams to inspect the compliance with food safety (FS) regulations of food production, processing and trading establishments in the area, especially establishments producing and trading moon cakes, confectionery, soft drinks, traditional foods produced in craft villages, small establishments; wholesale markets; fruit trading establishments; food service establishments, street food. Timely trace and recall products that do not ensure food safety and hygiene (FSH), strictly handle violations.

Interdisciplinary inspection team No. 1 inspected Vincommerce General Trading Service Joint Stock Company - Thanh Hoa Branch (Dong Tho ward, Thanh Hoa city).

Mr. Bui Khac Phuong, Deputy Chief of Office of the People's Council - People's Committee of Thanh Hoa City said: In Thanh Hoa City, there are currently about 20 establishments producing traditional moon cakes. The establishments have complied well with regulations on ensuring food safety; strictly controlled input materials; invested in machinery and equipment; upgraded and renovated production and processing areas, ensuring food safety conditions. Product information such as quantity, ingredients, expiry date, address of the production facility... are fully and clearly recorded on stamps and labels. In addition to the ingenuity and care to have beautiful and delicious cakes, ensuring food safety in production is always a concern of the establishments.

Mr. Tran Van Thuan, owner of Thuan Nhan Mooncake Factory (Thanh Hoa City) said that the ingredients for making cakes such as pork, green beans, lotus seeds, melon seeds, pumpkin jam... are all imported from reputable suppliers of cake ingredients, ensuring food safety and hygiene. At the same time, the factory has invested in machinery, equipment, and production stages to ensure a safe production process, all employees are given health checks, and are equipped with gloves and masks during processing.

In Sam Son City, there are 2 traditional moon cake production facilities and nearly 100 households selling various types of confectionery and toys. To ensure food safety and hygiene, protect the rights and health of consumers, the city has directed functional agencies to strengthen the inspection and control of the market of goods in the area. Immediately after receiving the directive from the Provincial Market Management Department, the Sam Son City Steering Committee 389 has developed a plan to inspect and control the market. In particular, focusing on inspecting products that are consumed a lot during the Mid-Autumn Festival such as cakes, wine, beer, soft drinks, children's toys; maintaining a hotline to receive information about violations of the law in the production and trading of goods.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Tu, Deputy Head of Market Management Team No. 2, Market Management Department of Thanh Hoa province said: For more than two weeks now, Market Management Team No. 2 - Sam Son City has divided into groups to propagate and guide cake and candy production and trading establishments to strictly implement the provisions of the law; deploy households to sign commitments to implement the regulations of the city and functional agencies during the Mid-Autumn Festival; strengthen inspection, supervision and resolutely handle violations... Thereby, raising awareness for businesses and business households in the production and trading of goods to ensure quality.

To ensure consumer rights and promptly detect and handle violations of food safety and hygiene for Mid-Autumn Festival products, Thanh Hoa province has established 3 interdisciplinary inspection teams, focusing on inspecting the compliance with food safety regulations of production and business establishments in 13 districts, towns and cities. Districts, towns and cities have also established interdisciplinary inspection teams to inspect food safety at food establishments according to management levels and strengthen propaganda work to ensure food safety and hygiene during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Localities and units have stepped up communication on food safety and hygiene during the Mid-Autumn Festival in many forms. For food production and business establishments, focus on propagating legal regulations on conditions of facilities, equipment and tools, requirements on knowledge and practice of people directly involved in food production and business; regulations on the origin of food ingredients; Regulations on registration of declarations, self-declaration of products, use of colorants, flavorings, food additives, packaging in direct contact with food, product labeling.

Talking with Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan, Chief Inspector of the Department of Industry and Trade - Head of the Interdisciplinary Inspection Team No. 1, it was known that: Implementing the decision of the Provincial People's Committee, Inspection Team No. 1 was assigned to inspect 34 establishments. The inspection content is about procedures, administrative and legal records; checking invoices, documents, origin, origin of raw materials, food additives, hygiene conditions of establishments where food is produced and traded; compliance with regulations of people participating in food processing such as: Health certificate, certificate of training in food safety knowledge. Through initial inspection and assessment at production and trading establishments, the inspection team found that the establishments are basically aware of learning about food safety knowledge as well as seriously implementing all instructions of specialized units and People's Committees of districts, towns and cities.

However, during the inspection, there were still a few establishments with limited space for displaying goods; some establishments did not fully comply with administrative procedures; warehouse errors were not properly stored (placed on shelves with a distance of 15cm, 20cm from the wall); chemical products were placed next to food products... The inspection team reminded, corrected, and required them to make a commitment to promptly correct the situation and send the results back to the team. For units with serious violations, the team will resolutely handle them according to the law.

A typical example is the Luu Thi Lien spring roll production facility in Hop Thanh village, Thanh Hung commune (Thach Thanh), which violated food safety and hygiene standards. The owner and related people did not have knowledge of food safety. The delegation drew up a record of administrative violations; forwarded it to the District People's Committee to issue a decision on handling the violations. At the same time, it recommended suspending and revoking the business license of the facility.

Article and photos: To Ha

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/bao-dam-ve-sinh-an-toan-thuc-pham-tet-trung-thu-224954.htm