According to the plan for the Food Safety (FS) Action Month, issued by Ms. Phạm Khánh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, the theme this year is “Ensuring Food Safety, focusing on food safety in canteens, restaurants, and street food.”
This month-long campaign, running from April 15th to May 15th, across Ho Chi Minh City, has three objectives and requirements.
First, to strengthen communication, education, raise awareness, and define the responsibility and actions of everyone in ensuring food safety.
Emphasize the role and responsibility of organizations, individuals, and businesses in enforcing food safety regulations; promptly providing information on safe and high-quality agricultural and food chains, establishments that violate regulations or pose risks to food safety.
Public address system promoting food safety campaign 2024 (Image: Department of Food Safety).
Second, to increase inspections and monitoring of food safety; resolutely combat, prevent, and severely address organizations, individuals, and establishments that violate food safety regulations, especially restaurants, canteens, and street food vendors.
Highlight the role of the government, management agencies, social organizations, and consumer monitoring of compliance with food safety regulations.
Third, to enhance the ability to prevent, proactively handle food poisoning, and foodborne illnesses in establishments such as canteens, restaurants, and street food vendors; minimizing poisoning from consuming unsafe food.
On the morning of April 15th, the Department of Food Safety of Ho Chi Minh City implemented a public address system campaign with banners and slogans about the “action month” on major roads in the city center.
The department will also collaborate with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and other political and social organizations to achieve the stated objectives and requirements.
Ms. Phạm Khánh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, during an inspection at a local agricultural market (Image: NT).
An integral part of the “action month” is inter-sectoral inspections.
Accordingly, relevant departments will supervise the state management of food safety at the People’s Committees of districts, towns, and Thu Duc City; the government’s responsibility in managing food production, sales, and advertising businesses in the area; and inspect food production, sales, and advertising establishments.
Inspection teams will be established to inspect food production and sales establishments under their jurisdiction.
Upon completion of the inspections, the inspection teams will review and assess the results of the “Food Safety Action Month” in 2025 and propose solutions to improve the effectiveness of state management of food safety.
From March to the present, Ho Chi Minh City has experienced suspected food poisoning cases involving students at Tue Duc schools (Thu Duc City), Tan Tuc Secondary School (Binh Chanh District), and Vo Thi Sau Primary School (District 7), with each incident involving over 30 victims.
