The joint inspection team on food safety are inspecting at the business establishments in Hoa Binh city.

According to a report of the Department of Health, in 2021, there were two cases of food poisoning in the whole province, causing 15 people to be poisoned, the incidence rate was 1.76 people per 100 thousand people, which was lower than the allowed target. In which, there was one case with 6 poisoned people being suspected of drinking alcohol soaked with the roots of the forest trees, there was one case with 9 poisoned people being suspected of eating bamboo bugs. The number of single food poisonings was 62 people. Strengthening the responsibility of State management of food safety in the new situation, the Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene has coordinated to supervise and ensure food safety for 1,584 meals for a lot of people. They also organized many inter-sectoral testing, inspection and post-inspection on food safety.

The occasion of the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival in 2022 is the time when the people's demand for food increases, however, this is also an opportunity for the food items of unknown origin with poor quality to enter the market. Therefore, to ensure food safety, to minimize poisoning cases, to ensure the people's health and to contribute to the development and the healthy competition between food production and processing establishments at the same time. The Provincial Food Safety Committee has implemented Plan No. 24/KH-BCDATTP ensuring food hygiene and safety during the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival in 2022.

According to Ms. Bui Dinh Thi Dinh, the Director of the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department: The Steering Committee will set up inter-sectoral inspection teams to inspect at all the districts and the city. In particular, thy will especially check the products and the groups of products used a lot during the Lunar New Year and the festivals such as meat, meat products, beer, wine, beverages, soft drinks, cakes, jams, candies, vegetables, fruits, food additives... and food service businesses to promptly detect, prevent and handle the violations of food safety, controlling to prevent food poisoning, especially the collective food poisoning, alcohol poisoning. At the same time, they will focus on controlling the production and import hubs, the wholesale markets, the trade centers, the supermarkets, the traditional markets, the slaughterhouses and the food transporters. In parallel with that, it is necessary to coordinate with the relevant sectors to strictly control the smuggling activities, the commercial frauds, the counterfeit goods, the goods of low quality, the expired goods and the goods with unknown origin.

To step up the inspection and control of food business activities, the Provincial Food Safety Committee has coordinated with the relevant agencies and the Provincial Association of Consumer Protection to propagate and disseminate the policies and the laws on food safety and hygiene to the public, the production and business owners and consumers. They have coordinated with the media agencies in propagating and disseminating the production and business models, the products, the safe food chains, and the traditional products of the locality. The Steering Committee has also identified the consumers as the main object of the propaganda so that the people not only know how to process and preserve food safely but they also can become wise, and knowledgeable consumers to declare war on the dirty food and the food of unknown origin. Currently, on the website of the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department, the list and addresses of the establishments and individuals have been sanctioned for the administrative violations of food safety in order to warn, deter and prevent the production behavior for the illegal food business. This is also a way to publicize the information to consumers.

According to the direction of the Provincial Food Safety Committee, the inspection teams must strictly handle according to the regulations before, during and after the Lunar New Year and the Spring Fesstival in 2022. It is absolutely necessary not to leave any product without food safety, the counterfeit goods, the food of unknown origin on the market. The violation of labeling or other violations of food safety circulated on the market will be punished. At the same time, they will strictly handle the violations of food advertising. They will not let the food services, especially the street food that do not ensure food safety, continue to operate until the requirements have not been resolved.