In the days leading up to Tet, food production facilities increase capacity to meet market demand, so the risk of food safety increases.
The inspection team for the 2025 Tet agricultural product supply of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) visited Ho Chi Minh City and worked with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety on January 20.
Need to strengthen control
Inspecting the MM Mega Market An Phu supermarket (Thu Duc city), one of the large supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City that supplies a large amount of food of agricultural and aquatic origin, the delegation noted that with the large increase in the number of goods near Tet, there were a number of violations related to compliance with food safety regulations. For example, in the pork and beef packaging area, employees did not fully comply with protective regulations and did not wear gloves. The processing area had personal food and batteries placed in locations at risk of cross-contamination. Meanwhile, the area of goods waiting to be destroyed (mainly fresh goods that no longer guaranteed quality) was still messy, the distinction between genuine goods and waste goods was unclear, which easily caused confusion.
In the bean sprouts business area, there is only one product that is the supermarket's private label. When the inspection team member scanned the QR code on the bean sprout package, they saw a VietGAP certificate for the raspberry product. However, the supermarket re-checked the records and discovered an error in the data entry for the bean sprouts product, which in fact had valid documents. This item received great attention after the incident in which Lam Dao Trading Company Limited (Dak Lak) used a substance not on the list to soak bean sprouts, then sold them at the Bach Hoa Xanh system.
In response to a number of violations, Mr. Ngo Hong Phong - Director of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development - reminded MM Mega Market An Phu supermarket to strengthen food safety inspections in the context of a higher volume of goods than usual. Regarding the error related to bean sprouts, Mr. Phong noted that it is necessary to enter data accurately, because consumers do not have the conditions to check like the authorities, so if they detect data discrepancies, they will be suspicious. In addition, VietGAP, GlobalGAP or organic certifications have a certain limited scope, not all products produced by the facility meet the standards.
Food safety inspection at MM Mega Market An Phu supermarket (Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh city)
Taking note of the comments, Mr. Nguyen Duc Toan, Commercial Director of MM Mega Market system, committed to immediately implementing solutions to bring the best service to consumers. For more information, Mr. Toan said that purchasing power during Tet this year increased by 6% compared to the same period, in which the most consumed items are mainly of Vietnamese origin, products that are good for health.
Concerns about spontaneous sales points
Working with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasized that food safety inspections need to be carried out in parallel with propaganda and reminders. Pointing out the fact that the number of food production facilities is very large while the human resources for inspection and examination are limited, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development noted the need for management coordination between provinces and cities where production occurs and Ho Chi Minh City - where consumption occurs - so that when problems occur, they can join forces to handle them quickly. In addition, it is necessary to replicate the model of controlling food along the chain, inspecting the main responsible point.
Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam praised the "blue tick responsibility" model of large retail systems in Ho Chi Minh City, which helps to improve the responsibility of manufacturers and suppliers of products to consumers. This is a model in which suppliers sign a commitment with supermarkets, according to which if the supermarket detects a product that violates the law, all retail systems will simultaneously remove the supplier's violating products from the shelves.
Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the meeting, Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, said that the department is focusing on inspecting the distribution stage, after inspecting the production stage. Ms. Lan is concerned that in the context of economic difficulties, a segment of consumers prioritize cheap goods and buy at spontaneous sales points, which are uncontrolled and have a high risk of food safety.
"People should buy goods at places licensed by state agencies, with inspection and supervision. After purchasing goods, pay attention to the preservation stage, avoid the mentality of "regretting the goods", using goods that are no longer guaranteed in quality" - Ms. Lan recommends.
Regarding beverages, the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety warned people not to use alcohol of unknown origin because there is a risk of it being mixed with industrial alcohol, which can cause fatal poisoning.
47 establishments violated, fined nearly 64 million VND
According to the report of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, on the occasion of Tet At Ty 2025, 316 inspection teams at all levels inspected 1,692 establishments, detecting 47 establishments in violation with a fine of 63.8 million VND.
Inspection contents include physical conditions of food production and processing establishments; food safety conditions of food service establishments; origin; registration of product declaration/self-declaration; labeling; advertising...
Source: https://nld.com.vn/chan-nguy-co-mat-an-toan-thuc-pham-196250120221052681.htm
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