In the first 5 months of 2024, the country recorded 36 cases of food poisoning, causing more than 2,100 people to be infected and 6 deaths. Compared to the same period in 2023, the number of cases decreased by 10% and the number of deaths decreased by 46%.
Some mass poisoning cases due to mixing of floating materials
On the afternoon of June 1, at the regular Government press conference for May 2024 and the first 5 months of 2024, on behalf of the leaders of the Ministry of Health, Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen provided information related to food safety work in the past time in the context of many mass food poisoning cases occurring nationwide in the first months of the year.
The Deputy Minister of Health said that in the first 5 months of 2024, the country recorded 36 food poisoning cases that caused more than 2,100 people to be sick and 6 deaths. Compared to the same period in 2023, the number of cases decreased by 10% and the number of deaths decreased by 46%.
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen speaks at the press conference.
Immediately after the food poisoning incidents, the Ministry of Health directed medical facilities to treat infected patients, minimize deaths for serious victims, and directed localities to immediately suspend food supply establishments.
Along with that is tracing to the origin of food and food ingredients to find the cause of food poisoning.
Accordingly, after conducting traceability with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, it was discovered that some establishments that had been granted food safety certificates were collecting floating raw materials from outside...
Faced with the above situation, the Ministry of Health, at the beginning of the year, advised the Central Interdisciplinary Steering Committee on Food Safety and Hygiene to organize a meeting to evaluate the results of 2023 and deploy tasks for 2024.
“In particular, we advise localities, levels and sectors to effectively implement Directive No. 17-CT/TW dated October 21, 2022 of the Secretariat on strengthening food security and safety in the new situation; as well as implementing Decree 75 of the Government; directives of ministries and sectors, especially directives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Ministry of Industry and Trade.
In addition, the Ministry of Health also implemented guidelines for 10 recommendations of the World Health Organization on ensuring food safety, including 2 recommendations that we must choose clean food and the processing place must ensure hygiene and safety," Deputy Minister Tuyen stated.
Tight control of food supply
The Deputy Minister also said that as the standing agency of the Steering Committee, the Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, organized an online conference with the participation of localities.
In particular, the Ministry of Health has requested localities to strengthen the Food Safety Committee, with clear assignment and division of tasks; review, adjust and supplement working regulations.
In addition, continue to guide and implement Directive 13/2016, Directive 17/2020 of the Prime Minister; especially Official Dispatch No. 44/4/2024 of the Prime Minister. Along with that, deploy instructions to ensure food safety management in the area.
“We require localities to resolutely not allow establishments without food safety certificates or those that do not ensure food safety conditions to continue operating, and to strictly control the supply of illegal food to collective kitchens,” Deputy Minister Tuyen emphasized.
In addition, the Ministry of Health also requested industrial parks, export processing zones, etc. to resolutely not sign contracts with establishments that do not ensure food safety, and at the same time requested localities to do a good job of propaganda to raise awareness for business owners with collective kitchens and food production and supply establishments.
In particular, propaganda to raise people's awareness, thereby changing their behavior of buying food in safe places and not buying floating products.
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