Ho Chi Minh City tightens food safety management, ensuring schools and parents are not left to 'fend for themselves' during incidents

On October 9, Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Cuong chaired a meeting of the Interdisciplinary Steering Committee on Food Safety to evaluate the results of the first nine months of 2026 and outline key tasks for the end of the year.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary coordination in ensuring school food safety. He mandated that in the event of an incident, authorities must unify response plans and clearly define responsibilities for each unit, rather than merely halting food supply and leaving schools and parents to fend for themselves. Authorities are required to prioritize student welfare, support transportation, and address associated costs.

Furthermore, the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department has been directed to act as the primary contact for providing accurate and consistent information to the public, ensuring regular updates to avoid rumors and unnecessary alarm.

Reporting at the meeting, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department Pham Khanh Phong Lan noted that in the first nine months of the year, the city recorded 21 suspected food poisoning cases, with 9 confirmed, affecting 637 people, of whom 453 required hospitalization. During inspections, authorities identified 1,135 violating establishments out of 16,540 checked, resulting in over 11 billion VND in administrative fines.

Ms. Lan also highlighted management challenges, including the inadequacy of pre-announced inspections and difficulties in monitoring online businesses and human resource shortages following administrative unit restructuring.

Regarding food traceability, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Danh, Deputy Head of the Economic Police Division (PC03) of Ho Chi Minh City Police, discussed the recently uncovered case of salbutamol usage in pig farming. According to investigations, over 10,000 tons of pigs containing the banned substance were distributed, with transaction values exceeding 600 billion VND.

The PC03 representative proposed increased post-inspection measures and urged the food safety sector to report incidents immediately upon detection so that police can intervene early, ensuring thorough criminal processing for severe violations.