Hanoi Seeks Tighter Food Safety Monitoring

The Hanoi City People's Committee has proposed to the People's Council that there should be a program for food safety inspections in wholesale markets in Hanoi. Under the program, all agricultural and seafood products in nine wholesale markets are expected to be tested by a quick method in the 2016-25 period. The program will be divided in two phases. In the first phase from 2016 to 2020, five test vehicles will be equipped with specialized equipment, instruments and chemicals for quick testing of products. Along with rapid testing, inspectors will take samples from markets for further tests in laboratories to monitor food safety and quality. Nine high-speed laboratories will be built in markets in the second phase of the program from 2021 to 2025. The lab buildings will be constructed with the city's investment capital and for initial training of the lab workers. Hanoi often sends inspection teams to check the food safety in kitchens in industrial parks, export processing zones, kindergartens and schools. But due to many restrictions, the traders continue to supply unsafe products to these places. There are many clean vegetable stalls in large markets, but many consumers don't really trust them because some sellers mix poor-quality and good-quality products to make profit, Lao Dong (Labour) reported. An official from the People's Committee said the program would help to limit poor-quality products in the markets and also ensure the safety of consumers. (http://vietnamnews.vn/ Oct 16)