HCM City (VNA) -HCM City’s Department of Health has set up a hotline for the public to complainabout food quality during Tet (Lunar New Year) as part of a campaignon food safety.

Officials at the department’s food safety and hygiene division will be on dutyduring the holiday and take calls at 08.39301714 about low-quality food andcounterfeit goods and incidents of food poisoning, Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, deputyhead of the division, said.

Speaking at a programme called “Lang nghe va trao doi’ (Hearing and Discussing) held by thecity People’s Council and HCM City Television (HTV) on January 8, she saidduring the campaign, department inspectors will focus on foods and foodstuffscommonly consumed during Tet such as confectionery,alcohol, fresh meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.

Since demand for food and foodstuffs soar during the country’s biggest holiday, inspections would bestepped up to prevent unsafe foods and counterfeit goods entering the market,she said.
Nguyen Van Bach, deputy head ofthe city market management division, said the public can call his officehotline (08.39256875) to report counterfeit goods and unsafe foods.

Truong Thi Anh, Vice Chairwoman of the People’s Council, said authorities wantto ensure that the quality of food consumed during the holiday is of goodquality.
Companies taking part in the city’s the price stabilisation programme have stockpiled sufficient quantities of goods to ensure prices remain steady before and after the New Year holiday, Nguyen Huynh Trang, deputydirector of the city Department of Industry and Trade, said.

Many products such as fresh meat and poultry will see prices cut in the run-up to Tet, she said.

A Vissan Company spokesperson said that the company would supply 3,200 tonnes of fresh meat and 3,000tonnes of processed foods to meet the surging demand during the New Year.

Vissan will cut the prices of pork five days before Tet, he said.

Pham Thi Huan, director of Ba Huan Co.Ltd., said in addition to its major product, fresh eggs, thecompany also plans to supply 500 tonnes of poultry.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, said thatwith the positive feedback receivedon a new system to trace the origin of pork from the farms to the market,the city will also introducesimilar systems for other freshmeats, eggs and vegetables.

With a new application dedicated to tracking the origins of products, thepublic can easily access safe products of high quality, he added.-VNA