Prosecution of fake milk powder production line: There must be a clear and effective post-inspection mechanism!

MSc., MD, PhD CK1 LE THUAN LINH - Head of Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Thu Duc City Hospital (HCMC):

Fake milk cannot be identified with the naked eye.

The long-term effects of using fake milk are unpredictable. People who use fake milk face many risks such as: malnutrition due to lack of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals; overweight and obesity due to excess of inappropriate nutrients but lack of protein or other micronutrients; and unstable pathological manifestations. Fake milk can be contaminated with microorganisms causing diarrhea, gastrointestinal infections, acute enteritis, and more seriously, sepsis leading to shock and death.
In some cases, if fake milk is contaminated with toxic chemicals such as lead, melamine, and formaldehyde, it will cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and nerves. Worryingly, chronic poisoning will cause long-term effects or can cause birth defects in pregnant women.

It is very difficult to determine whether milk is real or fake with the naked eye. Currently, there are no tests to assess the risk of detecting toxins in the body. Therefore, to ensure safety, if people have a need, they should prioritize choosing branded, reputable milk, products that have been used for a long time in the market; prioritize buying at large units, brand representative stores or shopping centers, avoid buying through channels of unknown origin, small grocery stores, advertising phone numbers without clear addresses.

Pregnant women, children, and the elderly should be careful and consult a nutritionist before using nutritional products. For special subjects such as inpatients or people with chronic diseases that have not been treated stably, it is mandatory to consult a doctor before using nutritional products, ensuring that they are suitable for each person's condition and each disease.

Authorities seized some samples of poor quality milk in Hanoi.

Associate Professor, Dr. NGUYEN DUY THINH - food technology expert, former lecturer at Hanoi University of Science and Technology:

Restore consumer trust

I was shocked when the fake milk powder chain was discovered and prosecuted by the police! Thousands of consumers bought the above milk products with the goal of nutritional supplementation but received a fake product. That product is not only not beneficial to health but can also be harmful, very disadvantageous for consumers!

I think this is not only the greed of dishonest merchants but also a crime. Because the fake milk is clearly labeled as being for diabetics, pregnant women, premature babies, people in very vulnerable and high-risk states. Fraudulent behavior, disregarding everything to make a profit, must be strictly handled by the law.

However, the fake milk powder chain also raises questions about the management responsibility of the authorities as well as the responsibility of the locality when it has existed for a very long time - 4 years. The fake milk powder production case is very large in scale, with a serious impact on thousands of consumers. If it is not resolved transparently, it will make people lose confidence. At the same time, the incident also shows that the regulations in the field of food safety currently do not have a clear decentralization, responsibilities are overlapping, and when something happens, there is no one to take specific responsibility.

Police inspect a warehouse of fake milk powder in Hanoi. Photo: QUOC KHANH

National Assembly Delegate PHAM KHANH PHONG LAN :

Post-control work is key

The products in the fake milk powder chain are milk with added micronutrients, intended for patients, so according to regulations, they will be in the group that must register the product declaration. According to regulations, the product declaration dossier will be submitted by the enterprise to the competent authority, specifically the Ministry of Health or the competent authority in the locality, depending on the product group. However, whether the product is declared or self-declared, the issue of post-inspection also plays a very important role, not just checking on the initial documents.

For example, one of the necessary procedures for both forms of declaration mentioned above is the food safety test result certificate provided by the enterprise. In theory, there is a possibility that the enterprise takes the product for testing which is not similar to the actual product or the product is good when tested but the quality is different when produced. Thus, if the enterprise prepares a "nice" profile to get a license from the competent authority but when the production is not guaranteed, then no matter how strict the pre-inspection stage is, it will not bring much meaning.

Therefore, the best solution is post-inspection through the inspection and examination mechanism. Post-inspection is the key to monitoring and managing the food production and trading activities of enterprises. If post-inspection is incorrect or insufficient, everything becomes meaningless.

However, at present, the inspection and examination work in the food sector is still limited in terms of human resources, material resources, and the workload is increasing. For example, in Ho Chi Minh City alone, there are nearly 300,000 self-declared and declared products, and post-inspection is a huge workload. Therefore, for post-inspection to be effective, there must be an appropriate mechanism.

I think we must clearly recognize the reality, with such a large number of products, what kind of inspection and control mechanism is required, what is the inspection staff, what is the inspection power as well as the budget for sample testing... That is the story of policy making, which belongs to the responsibility of the relevant ministries and branches!

GIAO LINH recorded

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/vu-khoi-to-duong-day-san-xuat-sua-bot-gia-phai-co-co-che-hau-kiem-ro-rang-hieu-qua-post790999.html