Food hygiene concern raised at spring festivals

The Ministry of Health and Nam Dinh Province Department of Health have carried out an inspection over street food hygiene before the seal-opening ceremony at Tran Temple.

The Ministry of Health and Nam Dinh Province Department of Health have carried out an inspection over street food hygiene on February 14 before the seal-opening ceremony at Tran Temple.

 

Ministry of Health and Nam Dinh Province Department of Health carried out an inspection over street food hygiene

As thousands of people flocked to Nam Dinh to attend the ceremony, unlicensed street food vendors also appeared. Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of Food Safety Department under the Ministry of Health, said most street vendors met food safety and hygiene conditions. However, there are still many concerns about the food supply system and food handling.

According to Nam Dinh Department of Health, there will be many problems in management since the ceremony would not be too long but they will have a huge crowd and many of the street vendors are seasonal.

In Hanoi, a Tran Van Chung, deputy head of the city Department of Health led an inspection team to review the vendors at Huong Pagoda Festival. This year, the festival has 55 food vendors of which 53 were seasonal. The team discovered many violations in terms of food storage and dish cleaning after inspecting three restaurants. Two of them were unable to prove the origin of the ingredients.

Before the Tet holiday, many inspections had been carried out at 300 establishments by district and communal authorities. 23 establishments were fined nearly VND33m (USD1,400).