Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The prevention offood poisoning and food-borne diseases have been improved drastically andshowed positive results based on the decrease on food poisoning cases in thefirst six months of this year, a conference heard on July 20.

The number of food poisoning cases nationwide is 53, areduction of 27 cases compared to the same period last year. Eleven people diedand around a thousand others were hospitalised this year, more than twice asmany as 2017.

Speaking at the conference on implementing food safety andhygiene, Vice Minister of Health Le Thanh Long said inspections on food safetyand hygiene have been carried out from central to local levels.

Reports from inspection teams from 63 cities and provincesshowed that in the first 6 months of the year, the inspection teams discovered68,362 out of 351,130 businesses violating food safety and hygiene regulation.Of that, 13,017 businesses were fined more than 35 billion VND (1.54 millionUSD).

170 businesses had their licenses suspended, 300 businesseswere required to add labelling, and 2,822 businesses had their productsdestroyed.

Reports from the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment focused on inspecting food safety and hygiene, which contributed tothe curb of using banned chemicals in livestock, minimised the abuse ofchemicals and antibiotics, and reduced micro-bacterial contamination onproducts.

The national steering committee on food safety and hygienesaid there were shortcomings in the inspection work on food safety and hygienein many localities.

Penalties for violations on the abuse of plant protectionchemicals and antibiotics in agricultural production, as well as the useof food additives in food processing, remained low.

Food without clear origin was not controlled and is availablefor purchase in markets. Fraud on producing and trading supplementary foodonline was still complicated, it said.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said it was vitalfor the country’s health authority to enhance the post-inspection work onfood safety and hygiene to better control food quality.

The ministry would complete the amended decree on givingfines for food safety and hygiene violators based on the current Decree178/2013/NĐ-CP issued in 2013.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam required relevant ministriesand agencies to complete the amended decree stipulating sanctions forviolations and submitted it to the Government for approval. Of that, theprocess of culling violated livestock and substandard products, advertising onsupplement foods and cosmetics should be in the focus.

He said raising awareness of food safety and hygiene shouldcontinue to be promoted. Sound practices in food safety and hygienemanagement in big cities like Hanoi and HCM City should be replicated.-VNS/VNA