Set up 4 interdisciplinary food safety inspection teams for Tet and festivals

The Hanoi People's Committee requires that inspection and examination work must be focused and key; promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle violations of food safety in accordance with legal regulations.

Hanoi: Set up 4 interdisciplinary inspection teams for food safety during Tet and festivals

The Hanoi People's Committee requires that inspection and examination work must be focused and key; promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle violations of food safety in accordance with legal regulations.

The Hanoi People's Committee has just had a plan to ensure food safety for the New Year, Lunar New Year and spring festival in 2025.

The plan aims to strengthen inspection, examination and control of food safety in the production, processing, trading, import and use of food, ensuring the prevention and control of food poisoning during the New Year, Lunar New Year and spring festival in 2025.

Accordingly, inspections will focus on food production, processing, trading and import establishments, wholesale markets, supermarkets, shopping malls, food service establishments, street food businesses, focusing on establishments that produce, trade and import food items that are widely used during the Lunar New Year and festivals, such as: Meat, meat products, beer, wine, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, cakes, jams, candies, vegetables, tubers, fruits, food additives, and food service establishments.

To effectively carry out inspection and examination work, the City People's Committee established 4 inter-sectoral food safety inspection teams at the city level. Of which, Team 1 is headed by the leader of the Department of Health to inspect the districts: Bac Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Ha Dong, Chuong My, Ba Dinh, Tay Ho, My Duc.

Group 2, led by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, inspected the following districts: Gia Lam, Long Bien, Hoan Kiem, Hoang Mai, Thanh Tri, Thuong Tin, Soc Son, and Dong Anh.

Team 3, led by the Department of Industry and Trade, inspected the following districts: Me Linh, Nam Tu Liem, Thanh Oai, Phu Xuyen, Hai Ba Trung, Son Tay, and Ba Vi.

Group 4, led by the leader of the Hanoi City Market Management Department, inspected the following districts: Hoai Duc, Phuc Tho, Thach That, Quoc Oai, Thanh Xuan, Dong Da, Dan Phuong, and Ung Hoa.

At the district level, establish interdisciplinary food safety inspection teams to inspect the implementation of food safety work for the New Year, Lunar New Year and the 2025 spring festival in communes, wards and towns; inspect festivals, facilities, services, household production facilities, food dealers... that have been decentralized in the management of districts, towns and cities; re-inspect and supervise facilities inspected by communes, wards and towns.

Commune, ward and town levels will organize interdisciplinary food safety inspection teams to inspect festivals, service establishments, retail establishments, markets and street food in communes, wards and towns according to decentralization.

The City People's Committee requires inspection and examination work to be focused and key; promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle violations of food safety in accordance with legal regulations.

During the inspection process, it is necessary to coordinate well the propaganda and education of knowledge and legal regulations on food safety, raising awareness and consciousness of the community in food safety work.

At the same time, promote communication activities to disseminate legal regulations on food safety as well as knowledge in selection, preservation, processing and consumption to people.

According to the Ministry of Health, in October 2024, there were 10 food poisoning cases nationwide with 183 people poisoned, including 1 death. In the first 10 months of 2024, there were 99 food poisoning cases nationwide with 3,561 people poisoned, including 12 deaths.

It is not uncommon for the last months of the year for the food market to become bustling in preparation for the holiday season and Tet. The increased demand for food products also leads to many risks of food poisoning. Therefore, if not well controlled, the food safety situation will become more complicated.

Currently, the situation of trading and transporting food of unknown origin and of poor quality is still happening, especially unsafe foods such as chips, sausages, animal organs...

Fraudsters often commit fraud by changing labels or modifying packaging to extend shelf life in order to sell the goods.

Tet foods, characterized by traditional dishes and processed foods such as banh chung, banh tet, gio cha, jam, fruit, poultry, seafood, etc., are consumed strongly during this time. This is also the time when unhygienic food production and processing practices may increase due to high demand and laxer control.

Authorities have increased inspection, detection and strict handling of many violations, preventing unsafe food from entering the market and protecting consumer health.

According to the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department (Hanoi Department of Health), since the beginning of 2024, the Department has inspected 5,820 street food establishments, including establishments at festivals, fairs, tourist areas and public places.

Accordingly, the Department recorded that 83.7% of establishments met food safety standards and more than 16% of establishments had violations. Those establishments that violated were punished by the authorities and required to correct the violations and ensure food safety and hygiene.

In addition, the authorities also inspected 35,146 food service establishments in the city, of which 84.5% met food safety and hygiene requirements; those that did not meet standards were reminded and punished by the authorities according to regulations.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ha-noi-lap-4-doan-kiem-tra-lien-nganh-an-toan-thuc-pham-dip-tet-va-le-hoi-d230913.html