Food Poisoning Claims Six Vietnamese Lives in January-April

Vietnam is estimated to have recorded 22 food poisoning cases in the first four months of this year, affecting over 1,400 people with six fatalities, the government’s General Statistics Office (GSO) said.
The number of such cases, affected people and fatalities were reported at five, 37 and two, respectively, in April. In fact, more and more toxic chemicals have been found in food samples in recent times, raising the public concerns over food safety and hygiene, experts noted. In 2010, 3.4% of total 175 food poisoning cases across the country were related to vegetables and vegetarian products, report by the Department of Food Safety and Hygiene showed. To cope with matter, the department has built up a program to control pesticide residues in vegetables at production areas and wholesale markets in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and some localities. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that the Southeast Asian country loses VND340 billion ($16.26 million) from food poisonings per year. (GSO Apr Edition)