As the Lunar New Year approaches and food consumption increases, food safety and hygiene issues once again become a major concern.
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| Authorities are stepping up inspections of food production facilities during Tet. |
Many serious violations were exposed.
Recently, a series of food production facilities have been discovered to have seriously violated food safety regulations, causing public confusion, especially when the demand for Tet food consumption is at its peak.
One of the most sensational cases was the Nguyen Ninh green rice cake production facility (Hanoi). This facility was temporarily suspended after inspection teams discovered a series of violations of food hygiene and safety.
In particular, this facility operates in a substandard family kitchen, lacking separate functional zones and seriously degraded facilities. The floor is peeling and moldy, the open drains are full of stagnant waste, and clothes are hung to dry right in the food processing area. Production equipment is not cleaned regularly, leading to dirt accumulation. In particular, the toilet is located right next to the food preparation area, while the production area is also full of insects and animal feces.
To protect themselves, consumers need to choose food at reputable supermarkets and stores, with clear origins and full information about production date, expiry date and origin.
Not only the Nguyen Ninh facility, another violation that has caused public concern is at the snack production workshop of Duc Vinh Food Technology and Trading Joint Stock Company. The inspection teams discovered many serious violations here, such as not following the one-way principle in the production process, the production area is not divided into separate functional areas and does not ensure closure. Snacks are poured directly onto the dirty, greasy floor. Workers here do not use gloves when packaging the products, increasing the risk of infection and unhygienic conditions. Worse, the inspection team discovered dead rats giving off a foul smell right in the production area.
These violations become more serious as the Lunar New Year approaches, an occasion when people's demand for food consumption skyrockets. Candy, jam, and chips are indispensable snacks during Tet, and it is worrying that a segment of consumers continue to choose products from unsanitary production facilities, for reasons of "cheap", "convenient" or "eating a little is okay".
In an effort to protect public health, authorities have arrested a number of establishments that violated the law. One of them was a frozen food business in Tuu Liet Commune (Thanh Tri District, Hanoi), where authorities discovered more than 2.1 tons of frozen food of unknown origin and untested quality. In addition, in 2024, the country recorded 131 cases of food poisoning, causing nearly 5,000 people to become ill and 21 people to die.
Warning about toxic chemicals in food
Another incident that has further heightened concerns about unsafe food is the case of individuals in Dak Lak using toxic chemicals to produce bean sprouts. These individuals used a colorless liquid called “candy” water (6-Benzylaminopurine) to soak and ferment bean sprouts, in order to increase the weight and improve the appearance of the product. This chemical can cause serious health effects, such as low birth weight, birth defects, and even death if consumed in large amounts.
Authorities have prosecuted the subjects involved and seized 2,900 tons of bean sprouts soaked in this toxic substance.
Faced with the food safety situation becoming a worrying issue, the Central Steering Committee for Food Safety has deployed interdisciplinary inspection teams from the central to commune levels, focusing on product groups that are consumed a lot during Tet. Food production and processing establishments, craft villages and provinces with large border gates will be strictly inspected to prevent substandard products, fake products, products of unknown origin, or violations of food hygiene and safety.
Along with that, the Steering Committee will also promote propaganda and dissemination of safe food production and business models and products with strong traditional and local specialties, in order to raise community awareness in choosing and protecting health.
The Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) has issued important recommendations to protect public health during Tet. The Department recommends that consumers prioritize choosing food at reputable supermarkets and stores with clear origins and full information on production date, expiry date and origin. In particular, it is necessary to carefully check the information on product packaging, avoid buying products without food safety certificates or damaged packaging. At the same time, if consumers discover a manufacturing or retail facility violating food safety, they need to immediately notify the authorities to prevent the risk of harm.
During the Lunar New Year, ensuring food hygiene and safety is even more important, not only the responsibility of production and processing facilities, but also of each consumer. When choosing food, we are not only choosing dishes for our family, but also protecting the health of ourselves and our loved ones.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/noi-lo-thuc-pham-ban-hoanh-hanh-dip-tet-d240709.html
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