Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc has called for more positive changes in ensuring food safety in 2020while chairing a teleconference on food safety on January 11.
He ordered relevant forces to apply strict administrative or criminalpunishments on food safety violations without overlooking any cases.
According to the Ministry of Health, after twoyears of implementing the Prime Minister’s directive on food safety,authorities have prosecuted 28 cases with 42 defendants for violatingregulations on food safety, including trade of counterfeit food and foodadditives.
In 2019, the country recorded 76 food poisoningcases, making over 1,900 people hospitalised and killing eight. The figuresrepresented year-on-year declines of 29.6 percent, 37.2 percent and 52.9percent, respectively.
PM Phuc recognised some achievements in thefield. For example, major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phonghave focused on developing clean food production chains with neighbouringproduction areas. Most of cities and provinces have set up concentratedslaughtering facilities.
However, he also pointed out difficulties suchas the operation of over eight million small-scale production households, whichcould pose many risks for food safety.
The use of food additives without clear originstill exists, while the awareness of some people and businesses is still poor,he added.
Ensuring food safety must be intensified, andthis is the responsibility of the whole society, the Government, andauthorities at all levels, the PM said.
He suggested expanding safe food production andbusiness chain models and completing the project of developing organicagricultural products for his approval as well as increasing public awarenessabout food safety./.
VNA
