Under a directive issued by the People’s Committee, heads of local administrations will be held accountable to provincial authorities for ensuring food safety in line with decentralised management rules.
The order requires heads of grassroots authorities to bear full responsibility for violations, aiming to curb weak supervision at small-scale food production and trading facilities.
The move follows recent inspections uncovering widespread misuse of banned substances, posing risks to public health and sparking public concern.
Notably, serious violations were detected this month at bean sprout production sites in Mao Khe and Quang Yen wards, where operators used the banned chemical 6-Benzylaminopurine, which is not approved for use.
Local authorities have been instructed to urgently review and map all food-related businesses, particularly high-risk sectors, while stepping up unannounced inspections and strictly handling the use of unverified additives and chemicals.
The Quang Ninh People’s Committee warned that disciplinary action will be taken against local leaders who fail in their duties or allow violations to persist undetected.
Health, agriculture, industry and trade, and public security agencies have been tasked with coordinating closely to establish a monitoring network covering the entire supply chain, from production to market distribution.
