About 250 delegates from international organizations are participating in the 45th conference of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene in Hanoi, the first of its kind held in Vietnam. The event, co-chaired by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Nov 11-15, includes issues linked to the control of epidemics, particularly parasitic diseases, transmitted through the use of contaminated meat. Delegates will also touch on general hygiene standards on spices, dried dill, low-moisture food, and fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as discuss ways to implement more stringent food industry standards. Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long emphasized the importance of food hygiene and safety and reiterated that it was regarded as the country’s top priority in the food industry. In Vietnam, food safety issues have not been addressed properly. An increasing number of food samples have been found to not meet safety and hygiene requirements, greatly harming the health of consumers. In the first nine months of this year, Vietnam reported total 108 food poisoning cases with 2,800 patients and 18 deaths, compared to 3,400 affected people and 20 fatalities in the same period last year, according to data from the General Statistics Office. (Kinh Te Do Thi – Urban & Economy Nov 11 vov.vn Nov 11)
