The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just issued a document requesting departments, branches, sectors and People's Committees of wards, communes and special zones to strengthen food safety assurance, proactively prevent and promptly handle food poisoning cases in the area.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, from the beginning of 2025 to now, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded a number of food poisoning cases that have caused many people to suffer and have to be hospitalized for treatment.
In the context of increasing demand for collective eating, food services, and street food, the risk of food poisoning is always tiem nang, requiring authorities to proactively control and avoid serious incidents.
The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assigned the Department of Food Safety as the focal point, strengthening preventive measures, preventing and overcoming food safety incidents, promptly correcting limitations in management work.
Inspection and supervision will focus on key areas, tourist areas and places with many collective kitchens serving workers, students, and tourists to minimize the risk of food poisoning.
The city also requires stepping up propaganda about the risks and prevention measures for food poisoning at tourist attractions, schools, industrial parks, export processing zones and street food businesses.
The Department of Food Safety is responsible for assessing and monitoring risks, promptly warning of poisoning factors; strengthening surprise inspections in high-risk areas and strictly handling violations.
Organizations and individuals who violate the law will have their behavior and handling results made public on mass media to warn consumers.
The leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assigned the Department of Health to ensure timely emergency care and treatment for people affected by food poisoning; closely coordinate with the Department of Food Safety in investigating, handling cases and supporting localities to overcome the consequences when necessary.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment and the Department of Industry and Trade are responsible for coordinating the traceability, investigation of the causes of food poisoning and increased propaganda for product groups under their management.
Ho Chi Minh City Police are required to step up the fight against and prevention of crimes in food production and trading; resolutely handle serious violations, especially the act of smuggling, production, storage, and trading of fake, poor quality food.
The Department of Education and Training coordinates with the Department of Food Safety to implement a plan to ensure food safety in schools, strengthen supervision and hold heads of educational institutions responsible if violations occur.
The Management Board of Export Processing and Industrial Zones of Ho Chi Minh City is also assigned to strengthen inspection and supervision of collective kitchens in enterprises, requiring the head of the unit to commit to being responsible for food safety.
The People's Committees of wards, communes and special zones are required to regularly assess food poisoning risks; strengthen inspections, including surprise inspections of small-scale production and business establishments, street food, collective kitchens, traditional markets and mobile cooking services, wedding parties, and crowded parties.
The grassroots government must strictly handle violations, resolutely suspend establishments that do not ensure food safety; recall and destroy unsafe food and promptly inform about incidents and risks of poisoning in the area.
The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also emphasized the responsibility of local leaders, requiring adequate funding and resources and improving the capacity of staff to meet food safety management requirements.
