Ministry tightens food safety, hygiene controls

Speaking at a conference on food quality, safety and hygiene in the
agricultural sector on February 10, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that
and safety is still a problem and directly impacts society.
The ministry plans to prioritise supervising the use of agricultural
materials, especially pesticides due to the risk of serious environmental
pollution. Any substance containing chemicals that harm people or the
environment will be banned.

Last year, the ministry banned 300 kinds of pesticides.

In terms of fertilizer, Minister Cuong said it is necessary to promote
switching from inorganic to organic fertilizer.

Each year, up to 12 millions of tonnes of inorganic fertilizer is used for
agriculture, causing pollution and reducing the quality of agricultural products.

The ministry will also focus on improving awareness in society about food
hygiene and safety regulations.

Nguyen Van Viet, chief inspector of the ministry, said that the inspection
teams will keep close watch of drinking water for cattle and chemicals used on
shrimps. The teams will also inspect the responsibilities of local authorities
in managing agricultural materials and food hygiene.

Reports from the ministry showed that last year’s percentage of pork
contaminated with Salbutamol, a banned substance to stimulate growth in animals
that can affect human health, was 0.44. The percentage of the previous year was
1.07 percent.

In the last six months of last year, no samples were found to contain the
banned substance.

The percentage of vegetables containing pesticides was 4.1 percent, a reduction
of 3.66 percent compared to the previous year.

Authorised agencies inspected more than 21,360 businesses in agriculture,
forestry and aquaculture and found 1,923 businesses to be in violation of the
law.

According to Nguyen Nhu Tiep, head of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fishery Quality Management, this year, the department aims to reduce
biological and chemical residues and antibiotics in the production of
agriculture, meeting requirements for domestic consumption and the export
market.

The rate of samples containing pesticides in vegetables and chemical residue in
meat and seafood is expected to be reduced by 10 percent compared to last year
by the end of this year.

The department will also improve food chains to ensure food safety for people
in all cities and provinces.
So far, 50 cities and provinces have built 444 food chains with safe
agricultural, forestry and seafood products with clear origins.

In Hanoi alone, 60 food chains were set up with licences from authorised
agencies. The number in HCM City was 32.

At the conference, Minister Cuong asked localities to tighten controls and
enhance the responsibilities of leaders.

He also urged authorities to increase high-tech application on agriculture and
food chain production, encouraging potential enterprises to invest in
agricultural production.-VNA