Shabby food processing area at Bach Khoa Broken Rice shop
After many days of investigating office lunch providers in Hanoi, a group of reporters playing the role of apprentices and kitchen assistants approached the food processing area of Com Tho Bach Khoa restaurant, address 84 Nguyen Van Loc (Dai Mo ward, Hanoi City).
The kitchen area is arranged behind the 4-story house, about 15m2 wide, which is a place for cooking, washing dishes and gathering food. In the preliminary processing area, the char siu meat is left open in a large basin; on the kitchen shelf is a bag of chicken meat waiting to be thawed, but there are no hygienic preservation measures. The kitchen space is damp, shabby, and the kitchen surface is dirty. The large spoon used to stir rice bowls is placed directly on the wet kitchen surface.
At the processing area, the male employee wore short-sleeved shirts, shorts, and did not wear gloves, but still directly pre-processed food, sliced roasted pork and side dishes.
Ms. Huong (character name has been changed) - owner of Bach Khoa Broken Rice facility at No. 84 Nguyen Van Loc instructed reporters (when applying for a job as a kitchen assistant): "Some are pre-marinated, some are not yet marinated. Roasted pork is pre-fried, brought here just need to be sliced" - Ms. Huong said.
After the job introduction, the facility owner led the reporter to the kitchen area behind. When the reporter expressed concern about hygiene when he saw the kitchen area was dirty, this person seemed quite calm: "Just look like that, mix a bowl of dishwashing liquid and then wash it quickly and you're done. The staff here are used to the job.
During the recording process at Bach Khoa Broken Rice store, reporters continued to witness many offensive images in the food pre-processing stage.
Right on the gas stove platform, many pots were placed with sauce ready to be used to prepare dishes but were not covered. While introducing, a foreign object fell straight into the sauce pot.
When reporters wondered: "What is this?", the facility owner replied: "Rains just fall in", then used the motorbike key head to remove the foreign object before continuing to process.
Continuing the recording process, the reporter group approached the food processing area of Gia Phat Food Service Co., Ltd. at No. 455 Phuc Dien (Xuan Phuong ward, Hanoi City).
The processing area is a temporary house with a degraded corrugated iron roof and peeling walls. The facility does not hang business identification signs and often closes its doors.
According to actual records, the food processing area of Gia Phat Company is in a messy state. The kitchen walls are covered with grease and dirt; knives and cutting boards are scattered on the table surface, food is scattered around.
Inside the processing area, many industrial chicken thighs are soaked in basins of water. When reporters asked if these chicken thighs were used to prepare office rice, a female kitchen staff member replied: "To do charity. We do charity at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, making crispy fried chicken with flour.
In the freezer area, reporters recorded many bags of frozen pork legs that had been pre-cut along with two large nylon bags containing marinated chicken. A kitchen staff member said that these were pre-made ingredients.
The day before yesterday, we imported fresh food for processing, but customers reported sudden cancellation, so we had to store it in the freezer" - this person said.
Need to handle it strictly
Comparing with the details in the article such as the messy processing area, wet and dirty ground, food left open, dirty tools, black frying oil, processors using bare hands to pre-process food, Lawyer Hoang Ha - Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association - said that the above-mentioned establishments have shown quite clear signs of food safety violations.
According to the lawyer, when signs of violation are clear, functional agencies need to conduct surprise inspections, make on-site records, take samples for testing, check the origin of raw materials, legal documents, facilities conditions and immediately apply measures to suspend operations if safety conditions are not ensured.
If unsafe food is detected, or causes consequences for consumer health, not only will there be fines but also forced recall and destruction, and in cases of sufficient factors, criminal prosecution must be initiated," the lawyer said.
According to National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Thanh Hai (Thai Nguyen delegation), it is proposed to shift from "campaign" to "regular" inspection, accordingly, the Government needs to have a plan to launch continuous campaigns to eradicate violations from the root. Sanctions must be strong enough, even criminal handling, or permanent revocation of practicing licenses for units supplying dirty food, instead of "finish to let them exist" as at present.
