On October 3, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) held a conference on the management of quality and safety of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic food products for the first nine months of 2023 and launched a contest to raise awareness about these issues.
During this period, the Agriculture Department conducted tests on 862 samples for food quality and safety. Results for 658 samples are available, while 204 samples are still pending analysis. Out of these, 632 samples from agriculture, forestry, and aquatic sources were certified safe for consumption (accounting for 96.02%), while 25 samples (3.98%) were found to be in violation.
At the conference, Ha Tien Nghi, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Management Division, mentioned that Hanoi continues to maintain the "Hanoi Food Traceability System" (check.hanoi.gov.vn). Up to now, this system has provided guidance and account management for 3,392 entities, including cooperatives, production facilities, processing units, and packaging units. Furthermore, 13,176 traceability codes for agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products meeting safety standards have been issued.
Additionally, in the last nine months, the Agriculture Department inspected 478 agricultural, forestry, and aquatic production and business entities. Results showed 33 violations (4.2%), with penalties amounting to over 350 million dong (approximately 14,583 US dollars).
During the conference, representatives expressed concerns about the challenges in local food safety management, especially in communes and towns that lack dedicated personnel. There are also limitations in overseeing small-scale livestock and poultry slaughtering units and monitoring post-commitment activities.
Furthermore, there has been a positive shift in the perception of food producers and traders regarding food safety, but it remains insufficient. Consumer attitudes towards food choices remain lax, allowing unsafe food products to circulate in the market.
Concluding the conference, Deputy Director of the Hanoi DARD, Nguyen Ngoc Son, emphasized that in order to strictly control the quality of agricultural products sold in the market from now until the end of the year, localities need to stabilize their workforce dedicated to ensuring food security and safety, especially at the district, town, and commune levels.
Moreover, collaboration with units under the Department in implementing food safety measures, especially in supervision and risk warnings, should be intensified. For samples found violating safety standards, localities are urged to trace the origin and handle unsafe food batches accordingly.
The Hanoi DARD also introduced the contest aimed at enhancing knowledge about food quality and safety in agriculture, forestry, and aquaculture in the city for 2023. The final round and award ceremony are expected to be held in November 2023.
