The 2013 action month aims to combat illegal poultry trading and transportation minimise outbreaks of cooking poisoning, disseminate food hygiene information, and strictly enforce the penalties for regulatory violations.

At the launch ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan asked relevant agencies and localities to focus on building safe and hygienic slaughter houses and intensifying regular food safety and hygiene inspections.

He also raised concerns about the quality of fruit and vegetables, saying only 10 provinces and cities have developed organic vegetable wholesale markets. There are just 491 hectares of cultivated vegetables meeting VietGap and GlobalGap quality standards.

These figures are far from capable of responding to the domestic market’s increasing demands, Nhan noted.

He stressed the need to ensure food quality and especially keep a tight grip on cross-border chicken smuggling to prevent any possible outbreak of the deadly H7N9 avian flu in Vietnam.

VOV