A vehicle convoy kicks off the 2026 Food Safety Action Month during the launch ceremony on April 16. — Photo courtesy of the HCM City Department of Food Safety

HCM CITY — The HCM City Inter-agency Steering Committee on Food Safety on Thursday kicked off the 2026 Food Safety Action Month, focusing on enhanced oversight and the strict prosecution of food safety violations.

The event, themed "Ensuring food safety and preventing food poisoning in catering services and street food," is part of a nationwide campaign aimed at protecting public health by ensuring the safety of daily meals.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Nguyễn Mạnh Cường, deputy chairman of the HCM City People's Committee, emphasised that Resolution No.72/NQ-TW of the Politburo to protect, care for and improve public health identifies food safety as one of the important and fundamental solutions for improving physical well-being and public health.

He noted that the city has a population of over 14 million and encompasses 168 communes, wards, and special zones.

“Despite numerous efforts, food safety management on this large scale still faces potential risks,” he said.

He requested that departments, agencies, and localities implement specific tasks to ensure food safety and protect public health.

He stressed that authorities must raise compliance awareness among businesses and the public, and ensure stricter inspection and the public exposure of violators.

The State management of food safety must be improved with close coordination of all agencies, localities, and units from the city level to the grassroots level, he added.

Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan remarked that: “Ensuring food safety is fundamental to our strategic framework for protecting and improving public health.”

“To address increasingly complex food safety issues, we must prioritise supply chain oversight and raise awareness among both food services and street vendors,” she said.

Food poisoning incidents in street food stalls, collective kitchens, and schools have become a pressing concern, directly impacting public health, Minister Lan said.

The official affirmed that the health ministry will include these issues in a separate chapter in the revised Food Safety Law to ensure effective management of food businesses and the protection of consumer health.

As the country’s largest economic hub, HCM City has tens of thousands of food businesses, including restaurants, collective kitchens, and street food vendors, posing huge potential food safety risks if not strictly controlled.

During the Food Safety Action Month, inter-agency inspection teams will simultaneously deploy from April 15 to May 15, with a focus on collective kitchens, industrial zones, schools, ready-made meal providers, and street food vendors.

The inspections are comprehensive, covering legal requirements to operational practices such as food safety certificates, product declaration and testing records, facilities and personnel, food traceability, and advertising and labeling activities.

Inspection teams will also conduct sample testing and strictly handle violations, preventing unsafe food from circulating in the market.

In the first quarter of 2026, the country recorded 30 food poisoning incidents, an increase of 20 incidents compared to the same period last year.

These incidents mainly occurred in food service establishments, collective kitchens, and street food vendors. —VNS