Health Ministry warns about food safety hazards during 2024 Tet holiday
VOV.VN - The Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health has recently released warnings about food safety hazards to people during the coming lunar New Year holiday (Tet).
The Tet holiday is traditionally the time for people in the country to purchase large amounts of items such as meat, cakes, candies, and drinks for meals. It’s also the peak time when fraudsters look to cash in on consumers’ shopping spree by marketing fake or low-quality products.
The Vietnam Food Administration has therefore warned people of food poisoning risks if they use these products, especially items of unknown origin and those that are offered via e-commerce platforms.
The end of the year marks the time when more poor-quality products can be brought to the market, meaning people need to be aware of these products to avoid food poisoning, which impacts their health, suggested Nguyen Hung Long, deputy head of the Vietnam Food Administration.
Long added that the administration and relevant agencies are moving to strengthen control and promptly prevent the production and trading of fake and poor-quality food in order to protect consumer rights and prevent possible food poisoning.
According to the official, bold punitive measures have been introduced and many business establishments face bankruptcy due to the fines. However, he admitted that opportunists intentionally try to circumvent the law to make poor-quality products for circulation to earn illegal profits.
Long stressed the need to enhance communication campaign to raise public awareness about food poisoning risks, as well as brands on the blacklist. He also advised people to be wise consumers in choosing, cooking, and even preserving food during the Tet holiday.
