Poultry eggs inspected at a market in the centre of Vinh Long city in Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The health ministry hasasked Hanoi and HCM City to expand specialised inspection on food safety to 100percent of its districts and communes after successful trial implementation ofthis model.
Inspections will also be made in otherlocalities such as Hai Phong, Can Tho, Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Gia Lai andDong Nai.
The order was made at a conference held in Hanoion March 10 to review the results of the specialised food safety inspectionmodel in Hanoi and HCM City. The inspection involved the participation of theMinistries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry andTrade.
The specialised inspection on food safety wascarried out in 10 districts and 20 communes and wards of the two cities on atrial basis between November 2015 and November 2016 following the PrimeMinister’s decision.
During the period, Hanoi inspectors examinedmore than 3,500 food establishments and found 786 establishments violatingregulations. More than 370 establishments were fined over 1 billion VND (44,000USD) in total.
Meanwhile, HCM City inspectors discovered morethan 2,100 violated establishments after inspecting nearly 4,000 ones. As manyas 923 units were fined a total of over 4 billion VND (177,000 USD) forviolations.
Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong saidthe inspections helped to improve the effectiveness of State management on foodsafety and hygiene and raise awareness of both food businesses and consumers ofabiding by related regulations.
However, he noted that localities still facedifficulties in human resources. The shortage of specialised staff on foodsafety, particularly at communes and wards, affected the implementation of theproject.-VNA
VNA
