Vietnam PM Approves National Food Safety Strategy by 2020

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a national food safety strategy in the 2011-2020 period with an aim to improve the public awareness of the pressing issue. The strategy aims to have 70% of flood producers and traders and 80% of managers of concerned agencies and 70% of consumers complying with the food safety regulations.  Under the plan, 40% of food establishment and 80% of collective kitchens will hold food safety certificates while food safety issue in 100% of supermarkets and 50% of markets will be controlled in the next five years. The country also set a target to perfect food safety management system in all 63 provinces and cities by 2015; as well as to reduce 25% of acute food poisoning cases from the 2006-2010 period. Food safety remains an unsolved problem in Vietnam, especially during Tet holiday, experts said, warning that more and more samples of meat, vegetables and seafood have been found failing to meet hygiene and quality standards recently, threatening local people’s health. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has launched the action month for food quality, hygiene and safety in order to ensure food safety during the upcoming festive season. The Southeast Asian country reported 142 food poisoning cases in 2011, affecting 4,533 people with 25 deaths, the Health Ministry said. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that Vietnam loses VND340 billion ($15.96 million) from food poisoning annually. (Dat Viet - National Land Jan 10 p6, Suc Khoe & Doi Song - Health & Life Jan 9)