Officials inspect food in a store in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Food Safety Department under the Ministry of Health has called on health departments in provinces and cities to develop plans for monitoring food contamination risks in 2027.

The revelant units were asked to draw up monitoring plans based on local circumstances, available resources and allocated budgets, focusing on product groups under the health sector’s management.

Local authorities should also review food safety monitoring and inspection results, as well as food poisoning cases reported in previous years, to identify and prioritise products, product groups and hazards posing high contamination risks, particularly those that could affect public health.

For products found to contain contaminants that pose risks to public health, the department asked relevant units to take prompt action in accordance with the law and send test results to the local food safety authorities responsible for the areas where the non-compliant products were manufactured or traded, enabling them to take appropriate action.

Based on food safety monitoring and inspection findings, enforcement actions and food poisoning incidents in 2026, the department also called on localities to proactively develop their 2027 monitoring plans.

The plans should clearly identify the product groups and hazards to be monitored, the areas and target groups covered, and the monitoring schedules, taking local conditions into account and prioritising products and hazards presenting the highest risks. VNS