Imported beef sold for cheap prices raises concerns among consumers
Domestically-produced beef is being sold at VND170,000 (USD7.47) to VND300,000 per kilo. Meanwhile, a lot of imported beef is sold for just VND150,000 (USD6.59) per kilo. Many people wonder how imported beef which must bear several tariffs can still be cheaper and worry that those meat's expiry date is close or they're already expired.
Vice Director of the Department of Animal Health, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dam Xuan Thanh told the conference that all imported products must meet food safety standards and foreign firms and slaughterhouses must submit documents to Vietnamese agencies for approval. They must also label and clearly state the meat's origin and expiration date or else the products will not be cleared at customs.
"Violators will be fined and the cargo will be destroyed or returned. We haven't been informed about any expired or nearly expired case," Thanh said.
According to Thanh, some types of meat Vietnamese like may not have the same attractiveness to consumers overseas and so they can be exported to Vietnam at cheaper prices. For example, people in many countries don't eat chicken necks and wings while they are well-liked in Vietnam.
