A vendor sells fruit at a HCMC market. More consumers are raising questions about the safety of cooking they buy.

Vietnam should focus on preventative measures to ensure food safety around the country instead of just penalizing violators, health and agricultural officials said Wednesday.

Luong Le Phuong, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that to date, several food safety and hygiene violators have been strictly punished “but only when the deeds already caused harm.”

“There’s lack of prevention and it’s time we focused more on that,” Phuong added.

Phuong was backed by Nguyen Cong Khan, head of the Health Ministry’s Food Safety and Hygiene Office, who said “we don’t have a system to warn about risks of unsafe foods.”

Officials in northern border provinces are finding it hard to check the quality of smuggled foods, said Khan.

According to representatives from the two ministries, those provinces lack the laboratory facilities needed to analyze the quality of imported foods.

Khan suggested building a lab system in such areas and implementing a program to tightly control chemicals, antibiotics and growth-stimulant imports.

To increase food safety, MARD’s Phuong added that good management should start “from the roots,” meaning authorities at different levels should supervise the planting, breeding, harvesting and processing of products in their local areas.

Officials should also carry out surprise inspections at wholesale markets, retailers and supermarkets, he added.

Phuong said several Chinese food products have been imported by Vietnam that don’t meet safety requirements and MARD will work with Chinese officials to improve standards.

The ministries of health and public security will also cooperate to launch inspections in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and northern border provinces of Quang Ninh, Lang Son and Lao Cai in an effort to clear out unsafe food products before the upcoming Tet holiday beginning January 26, Phuong said.

Reported by Quang Duan