At the temporary market behind the Long Bien unit market (Hanoi), dozens of stalls still sell frozen food products such as chicken, pork and animal organs that are not properly preserved. When the reporter team asked clearly about whether food with bad odors and deformed can still be consumed, a trader specializing in providing frozen meat said: "Frozen animal organs and frozen chicken are still consumed at restaurants and pho shops."
Not far away, the reporter team continued to encounter a shop specializing in providing animal organs. The processing process was extremely dirty.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former lecturer at the Institute of Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology - warned: "Tet is a time when the demand for food increases, but it is also the time when poor quality food easily enters the market. Especially for frozen foods, if not properly preserved, they can cause bacterial contamination, food poisoning, seriously affecting the health of consumers."
To ensure food safety during Tet, the Hanoi People's Committee has directed functional agencies to deploy many strong measures and establish 4 interdisciplinary inspection teams, focusing on food production, processing and trading establishments, unit markets and supermarkets to detect and prevent poor quality food, fake goods and "dirty" goods from entering the market during the 2025 Lunar New Year.
At the Southern Unit Market, which provides the main food source for the entire city, the authorities have established interdisciplinary teams to cross-check the goods entering and leaving the market. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Cam Tu, representative of the Southern Market Management Board: “We have closely coordinated with the Hoang Mai District Veterinary Station to check the origin and quality of food, especially poultry and imported food, to protect the health of consumers.”
