The Month of Action will be launched nationwide from October 10 to November 10.

Although many vegetable growers in Hanoi and HCM City are fully aware of the danger of spraying vegetables with pesticide, they still sell these kinds of products to consumers.

“We must clamp down on such activities as the number of cancer sufferers has reached 200,000, 70 percent of which die of cancer due to the use of chemicals,” said MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat.

Many people have asked why such Months of Action have not been launched before, as the food safety and hygiene issue has not yet been resolved effectively across the country.

Ass. Prof. Dr Tran Dang, Head of the Food Safety and Hygiene Department under the Ministry of Health attributed the weaknesses to three main causes:  little human resources, poor public awareness and limited expenditure.

The matter of food safety and hygiene should have been dealt with 20 or 30 years ago, but not until now have we been aware of the fact that when high levels of cancer are detected in places it is due to environmental pollution and the use of unsafe foods. Meanwhile, fatal and chronic diseases caused by eating unsafe food have not yet been researched on or investigated by a functional agency. This is a real danger to the country and the future of the nation, said Mr Dang.

Reality tells us that ensuring safety in agricultural products cant be done overnight. According to the results of an investigation by the Science and Technology Department under the MARD, the pesticide residue contained in spinach, cabbages and beans is currently at a level of between 15 percent and 30 percent.

In particular, the pesticide residue in grape products has surpassed admissible levels as it can amount to 60 percent.

After being informed of this, MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat called for en end to using unsafe products, which adversely affect people’s health in the context that Vietnam is striving to be become a global supplier of safe food.

Food hygiene and safety under strict control
“Do not put products that badly affect human health into circulation,” says Mr Phat in an interview granted to VOV. Following is the full text of the interview.

VOV: What will the action month for checking on the quality of agricultural materials and ensuring agricultural products are hygienic and safe focus on?

Minister Phat: During the month, the MARD will mainly focus on dissemination work in order to help local authorities and the public understand the purpose and meaning of ensuring food hygiene and safety as well as the regulations on food hygiene and safety. The ministry will guide both producers and consumers to understand standards and production processes to ensure food hygiene and safety. It will carry out investigations to find producers that do not ensure food hygiene and safety in their products.

VOV: What’s the MARD’s evaluation of food hygiene and safety in the future?

Minister Phat: Vietnam has paid a lot of attention to ensuring food hygiene and safety but it has not achieved the expected results and there are many problems to be resolved. The month also aims to mobilise all the relevant agencies to resolve these urgent issues. It will take a lot of time to resolve the remaining problems but the country has to complete a legal framework and develop  the technical infrastructure to implement these requirements on food hygiene and safety standards effectively.

VOV: You have announced your constant support for the production of safe products and even said that unsafe products should be destroyed. How has this done in reality?

Minister Phat: We are now perfecting the legal system and are guiding people to observe the law while at the same time strictly punishing violations. In addition, we are proposing that the Government amends and builds a stricter legal framework to deal with violations which may cause a negative impact on the health of consumers.

VOV: Vegetables and tea will be checked by the MARD during action month. If these items are found unsafe, will they be destroyed? How this will affect people and the economy?

Minister Phat: We must be determined because nobody wants to use unsafe products. There may be losses, but we must do this to ensure safe and hygienic food and agricultural products.

VOV: Thank you very much.