Vietnam continues to suffer food safety concerns which have worsened in the run-up to the Tet Lunar New Year festivities.

On December 5, inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Hanoi police discovered a tonne of rotten pork at Phung Khoang Market in Nam Tu Liem District. The sellers had tried to pass off the old meat as fresh.

Some days later, Hanoi police also found more than four tonnes of chicken floss mixed with wheat flour. The trader Nguyen Van Thinh said that he bought the chicken from slaughter houses in HCM City at VND40,000 per kilo and had turned it into the floss for sale in Hanoi at around VND55,000 per kilo, equal to a tenth of the market price. Thinh was unable to show documents proving where the meat originally came from.

Police in Ha Tinh Province confiscated one tonnes of buffalo and cow viscera being transported by a truck

On December 18, a truck in Hanoi's Thuong Tin District was also found transporting a tonne of rotten cow and buffalo viscera to local markets.

Police in HCM City on December 22 seized around 2.2 tonnes of rotten pork at a household in District 12. The owner Cao Chi Dong admitted that the Chinese-imported product had been mixed with preservatives to be sold to restaurants.

Meanwhile, police in the central province of Ha Tinh on January 4 confiscated one tonnes of buffalo and cow viscera being transported by a truck.

Hanoi authorities will strictly inspect large food processing plants, wholesale markets, supermarkets and shopping centres in addition to small street vendors as part of efforts to minimise food poisoning issues during the Tet holiday and festivals.

The Hanoi Industry and Trade Department said it would co-operate with people's committees at grassroots levels to organise training courses in localities for local food safety officials and boost awareness about food safety and hygiene.

However, food safety and hygiene in the capital is still a serious issue, with unsafe meat and vegetables being sold daily in wholesale markets, supermarkets, shopping malls and flea markets, while a majority of consumers still continue to buy cheap food without considering quality or expiry dates.

HCM City will also intensify checks of food production and retail outlets until February 22 to safeguard public health during the Lunar New Year, according to the city’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

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Dtinews