Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has instructed Ho Chi Minh Cityauthorities to tighten management of food products at wholesale marketsand supermarkets to ensure food safety and hygiene.

Food-testingpoints were set up at the three biggest wholesale markets in the city tomake sure food products meet hygiene standards before entering themarket, he said at a working session with municipal authorities onJanuary 27.

The city should also build a roadmap to protectconsumers, and assure that food products from other localities meethygiene standards before being transported into the city, he said.

Theseregulations will not cause difficulties for farmers, they will helpthem become familiar with new production standards that will improvetheir products' values, Dam said.

He also pointed to the needfor relevant ministries and agencies to build a more effectiveinformation dissemination plan to raise farmers' and businesses'awareness about food hygiene and safety.

"If we didn't put inplace strict measures now to ensure food safety and hygiene, it wouldcost more later to provide health check-ups and treatment for people whogot sick from dangerous food products," he said.

Minister ofAgriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said city authoritiesshould increase inspections all year round, not just during Tet whenpeople's demand for food products increased.

Le Thanh Liem, ViceChairman of the HCM City People's Committee, said the city has more than20,000 street food establishments. In 2014, a city inspection foundfood safety violations at nearly 2,700 of them. Inspectors took morethan 27,000 samples for testing and found that about 24,000 of them methygiene standards.

City authorities organised free trainingcourses on food safety and hygiene for more than 10,400 members of thefood industry. Also, the city signed agreements with 22 localities onproviding local consumers safe, hygienic food products, he said.-VNA