Food safety inspection at Bến Thành Market in HCM City last month. - Photo thanhnien.vn |
HÀ NỘI — Food safety inspection forces will be deployed in nine cities and provinces from July 1, deputy minister of health Trường Quốc Cường announced at a Wednesday conference on food safety, the Thanh niên (Young people) newspaper reports.
The forces will be deployed in Hà Nội, HCM City, Hải Phòng, Đà Nẵng, Cần Thơ, Thanh Hoá, Hà Tĩnh, Đồng Nai and Gia Lai.
In Hà Nội and HCM City, they will be mobilised in all areas but only in some districts in other seven cities and provinces.
Inspectors who are officers of departments of economy, agriculture and rural development and medical centres will be offered inspection skill courses.
Some 3,700 inspectors are set to be mobilised in Hà Nội, according to Cường.
In 2015, food safety inspection forces were piloted in twenty communes in Hà Nội and HCM City. The initiative proved efficient in tightening management on food safety, reducing food poisoning cases and preventing violations by food suppliers.
Hà Nội and HCM City have obtained more than VNĐ1.16 billion (US$49,880) and VNĐ4.13 billion ($177,676) respectively, from fines for food safety violations.
However, most of this funding remains unused. Therefore, participants at the conference asked for instructions to allocate money from these funds for food safety programmes. – VNS