Ho Chi Minh City Strengthens Food Safety Supervision in Collective Kitchens and Schools
The HCMC People's Council is enhancing food safety supervision, focusing on industrial collective kitchens and school canteens to protect the health of workers and students.
On the afternoon of August 7, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council (HCMC People's Council) conducted a thematic supervision session on state management of food safety in Thuan Giao Ward. The program focused on compliance within collective kitchens for workers and the school canteen system.
The session was chaired by Mr. Huynh Thanh Nhan, Vice Chairman of the HCMC People's Council, with participation from the Department of Food Safety, the Department of Education and Training, and the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority. According to reports from the Thuan Giao Ward People's Committee, the locality currently manages 338 food service establishments, 11 school canteens, and provides guidance on food safety self-assessment for 74 non-public preschool facilities.
During the meeting, Mr. Cao Thanh Binh, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the HCMC People's Council, requested clarification on the current state of food safety in industrial zone kitchens. Mr. Truong Van Phong, Deputy Head of the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority, affirmed the significance of this issue, as incidents involving industrial meals are often the direct cause of labor strikes or disputes.
Regarding the school environment, Ms. Le Thi Bich Ngoc, Principal of Binh Thuan Preschool, stated that the school serves approximately 1,000 meals daily. She advocated for more frequent specialized training sessions to ensure the oversight of input raw material quality and rigorous hygiene standards.
Concluding the session, Mr. Huynh Thanh Nhan requested that agencies enhance inter-sectoral coordination. He emphasized that the Thuan Giao Ward People's Committee must strictly review small-scale food vendors and street-side markets, while allocating additional dedicated staff and rapid testing equipment to improve the effectiveness of state management of food safety in the area.