For fruit imported from China, the Ministry on Wednesday asked relevant bodies to strictly supervise import procedures under international practices.

The Ministry said there were thousands of fruit preservatives but for one kind of fruit, only a certain preservative is used. Therefore, according to Minister Cao Duc Phat, relevant bodies should conduct risk assessment procedures. Prior to allowing imports into Vietnam, agencies of the two countries must reach an agreement on the production process and storage of fruit in addition to commitments on mutual recognition of supervision of both sides.

When fruits are imported into Vietnam, the relevant agencies must supervise the analysis of commonly used preservatives for these kind of fruits.

Earlier, the head of the Plant Protection Department, Nguyen Xuan Hong, offered an explanation for consumers’ concern about the unusually long life of imported apples and pears that do not rot after many months.

He said the preservation of fruit depends on many factors such as breed and species; therefore, users should not jump to conclusions that preservatives were used.

However, the public found his answer to be unsatisfactory.

Le Ha