VietNamNet Bridge – The increasing frequency of food poisoning incidents at industrial zones in HCM City over the last several months has prompted immediate preventative inspections at small food processing facilities.

Photo: Nguoi Lao Dong

In the most recent instance, 28 workers from the Lien Hung Company in the Tan Tao Industrial Zone of the Binh Tan District were admitted to hospital because of food poisoning, the company's food supplier now suspended, having already lost its trading licence.

Nguyen Tan Dinh, deputy head of the HCM City Industrial Park and Processing Zone Management Board, said that, since the beginning of this year, 15 strikes had taken place due below standard food quality.

"Low quality meals combined with intensive overtime work has exhausted workers, increasing the possibility for strikes," Dinh said.

He suggested that enterprises set up canteens to provide workers with proper meals or hire food suppliers with legal business licences and food safety certificates.

"Those found responsible for food poisoning should face strict punishment," Dinh said.

According to Hoa, one of the main obstacles to keeping tabs on food suppliers was the fact that there were so many of them, the city having more than 3,000 food suppliers and 40,000 food related companies.

Increasing food prices have made suppliers opt for cheap and poor-quality materials, leading to food poisoning, said the deputy head of the department, Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai.

"It is very difficult, almost impossible, to cook a proper meal with only a little amount of money," said Nguyen Thi Chi, from neighbouring Binh Duong Province, who feeds 300 workers at a nearby industrial zone for VND6,000 (30 cent) per head.

While her company had raised its price per meal to VND9,000 (44 cent) in order to compensate for price hikes, funds were still insufficient for providing quality meals.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News