Workers face unsafe food at spontaneous markets
According to Ms. Tran Thi Yen Vy, a worker at a private enterprise in Da Nang City, currently many workers working late shifts have difficulty accessing safe food sources. Due to the characteristic of late shifts, when workers leave the factory, most traditional markets and official supermarkets in the area have closed, not meeting the working hours of workers.
Ms. Vy said: "Currently, most workers have to buy food at spontaneous markets, prices are unstable, and the quality and food safety issues are not guaranteed, which will directly affect health in the long term." The lack of safe shopping points forces workers to use unverified quality food sources, threatening the physical condition and labor productivity of direct production forces.
Besides the risk of food safety and hygiene, the existence of spontaneous markets also causes serious traffic unsafety in industrial parks, typically the area around Tam Thang industrial park.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra My - a worker at Tam Thang industrial park - reflected: "At the break time, thousands of workers flock to the streets at once. Due to the lack of official commercial service infrastructure, workers have a habit of stopping and parking right on the roadside to quickly shop at temporary markets. This behavior causes local traffic congestion, urban disorder and potentially high risk of traffic accidents.
Planning the market network and deploying price-stabilized buses
According to the Da Nang City Department of Industry and Trade, this agency is coordinating with the Management Board of Industrial Parks, High-Tech Parks and local authorities to review the land fund around the industrial park.
Mr. Huynh Xuan Son - Deputy Director of Da Nang City Department of Industry and Trade - said: "We will coordinate to review the entire land fund for commercial services, thereby advising the City People's Committee to include it in the investment list to build a traditional market system and safe commercial infrastructure in the period 2026-2030 to meet the legitimate consumption needs of workers.
Regarding the immediate solution to support workers to work overtime late, Mr. Son affirmed: "The Department of Industry and Trade will proactively work with distribution businesses and large supermarket systems in the area to organize mobile sales trips and price stabilization. These sales points are deployed directly inside industrial parks and areas with a large concentration of workers' boarding houses, providing products with controlled origin and quality at preferential prices.
At the same time, regarding the work of protecting the health of workers, a representative of the City Department of Health said: "The Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene will increase the frequency of periodic and unscheduled inspections and examinations for collective kitchens and industrial meal suppliers at factories. The Department of Health also established and maintains hotlines to receive, verify and quickly handle feedback from workers about food business establishments that do not ensure safety around industrial parks.
