Local authorities and the key role in ensuring food safety

Food safety management and control requires strong involvement of local authorities because this is where people can directly and quickly access them.

Food safety management and control requires strong involvement of local authorities because this is where people can directly and quickly access them.

Food safety has always been an important issue for public health. In the context of rapid social development, the demand for food consumption is increasing, but ensuring food quality and safety still faces many challenges.

The key role of grassroots government

In particular, at the local level, food safety management and control requires strong participation from local authorities, because this is the place that has direct and quick access to people and is capable of effectively implementing preventive measures and handling violations.

Food safety is always an important issue for public health.

Local authorities, especially commune, ward and town levels, play a decisive role in protecting public health through ensuring food safety. This is the management level closest to the people, and can directly monitor and handle violations related to food safety at the local level.

The responsibility of local authorities does not stop at implementing instructions from superiors but also needs to proactively deploy activities to prevent, propagate and educate people about food safety, especially in the current context, when the situation of dirty food of unknown origin is becoming increasingly complicated.

However, according to the feedback, the facility is currently facing many difficulties in food safety management due to the variety of goods and designs; many foods have no clear origin; fake, counterfeit, and poor quality goods appear in the market; and the facility's human resources are also modest.

According to the leader of the Health Department of Thach That District, Hanoi, Ms. Vuong Thi Ngoc Dien, the human resources for food safety management are still limited at the district and commune levels; most civil servants hold multiple positions. This limits the work of advising and implementing food safety activities, especially inspection activities.

Some food producers and traders do not have a sense of responsibility towards the community, pursue immediate profits, violate food safety laws, and affect people's health.

The lack of national technical standards and regulations for food products also causes difficulties for production and business establishments to self-declare products; at the same time, it is a barrier for state management agencies in monitoring, inspecting and post-auditing self-declaring products.

One of the important tasks of local authorities in food safety management is to promote propaganda and raise public awareness of food safety risks.

At the same time, food safety officers at the facility must also be effective propagators of knowledge about safe foods, signs of food contaminated with bacteria, toxic chemicals or food of unknown origin.

Local authorities need to regularly monitor and inspect local food production, processing and trading establishments.

Inspections must be conducted periodically and suddenly, in conjunction with interdisciplinary inspection teams to promptly detect and handle food safety violations. These establishments must strictly comply with regulations on food hygiene and safety, food origin, food preservation and processing.

Strictly handle violations of food safety

To manage food safety, it has been decentralized to the grassroots level. Accordingly, in order to increase deterrence against violations, according to some opinions, local authorities need to resolutely handle violations of food safety in the locality, especially those that provide unsafe food to people.

Penalties must be fully and strictly implemented, without any forbidden areas, from administrative sanctions to criminal prosecution for serious violations. This is an important measure to deter and prevent violations.

Some localities have been successful in building safe food production and processing models and are exemplary in food safety work.

Local authorities need to support and encourage the development of these models, while ensuring the sustainability of the models in the community.

Models such as "Food Safety Market", "Clean Food Production Cooperative", "Safe Food Store" are typical examples that need to be maintained and promoted. Creating safe and transparent food distribution channels helps consumers easily access and choose quality-assured food.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Tho District, Hanoi Le Van Thu said that Phuc Tho District always considers food safety as important to the health and lives of consumers. Strictly managing food production, business and trading activities contributes to maintaining social security and ensuring public health.

In the coming time, the district will continue to focus on directing functional sectors to overcome limitations and shortcomings, and at the same time effectively implement food safety work according to their functions and tasks, contributing to protecting the health of local people.

Along with that, the district strengthens state management of food safety for collective kitchens, especially strengthening inspection teams, monitoring, tracing the origin of collective kitchens, business areas, food processing...

According to Dang Thanh Phong, Head of the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department (Hanoi Department of Health), from now until the Lunar New Year 2025, people's demand for food consumption will increase, the Department will coordinate with departments, branches, and local authorities to strengthen food safety inspections at food production and trading establishments.

At the same time, focus on post-announcement inspection, surprise inspection, resolutely handle administrative violations in the field of food safety according to the provisions of law; promote propaganda work, focusing on the provisions of law on food safety; prohibited acts in food production and trading; penalties for violations of food safety...

Thereby, raising awareness for organizations and individuals producing, trading and distributing in the food sector; equipping people with knowledge to protect themselves and their families...

Source: https://baodautu.vn/chinh-quyen-co-so-va-vai-tro-then-chot-trong-bao-dam-an-toan-thuc-pham-d231669.html