Goods are currently sold through three main channels: supermarkets, traditional markets, and small retail stores. At a food safety seminar on 23/9, Nguyen Van Muoi, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that authorities need to tighten management of retail activities.

According to Muoi, markets and supermarkets can be managed, while small retailers are more difficult to control. He proposed that management agencies develop centralized sales points and limit scattered, widespread vending on sidewalks and roadsides (informal markets). This would facilitate management and reduce risks for consumers.

Nguyen Van Muoi, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, speaks at the seminar on 23/9. Photo: Tien Phong Newspaper

Nguyen Van Muoi, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, speaks at the seminar on 23/9. Photo: Tien Phong Newspaper

According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, by the end of 2024, the country had 8,274 markets, 276 commercial centers, and 1,293 supermarkets. Bui Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Management and Development Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), said that supermarkets and commercial centers, often belonging to large enterprises, prioritize brand reputation and thus comply well with food safety regulations. Meanwhile, businesses in traditional markets are mostly small-scale, only signing commitments with authorities and often lacking food safety certificates.

"Currently, tracing the origin of goods in markets is difficult, and the understanding of food safety among market vendors is limited," Tuan said.

According to Tuan, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued national standards for food markets and encouraged localities to apply them. However, outdated infrastructure and fragmented management hinder effective food safety control in these locations.

Nguyen Quy Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), argued that controlling food safety must start at the root: production.

Vietnam has about 10 million farming households, cultivating 1.15 million hectares of vegetables and 1.3 million hectares of fruit trees. The two main certification systems in use, VietGAP and GlobalGAP, are voluntary and aim to promote safe production, protect public health, and preserve the ecological environment.

According to Duong, the demand for safe agricultural products for domestic consumption and export is substantial, but the area under certified production remains low. By the end of 2024, about 150,000 hectares nationwide had VietGAP certification for six plant groups, including over 8,000 hectares of safe vegetables (less than 1%). For fruit trees, the certified area was about 76,000 hectares; for tea, 5,200 hectares. Including other certifications like GlobalGAP, the total certified production area reached only about 440,000 hectares.

Since 2012, many policies have encouraged VietGAP and similar safe production standards, but after over a decade, the actual certified area remains small. Besides VietGAP, farmers can also sign direct safe production commitments with buyers, but the scale is small and scattered, lacking widespread impact.

"This situation makes it difficult for producers to increase the value of agricultural products, while domestic consumers are disadvantaged," he said.

Sharing this view, Nguyen Van Muoi said that production facilities need to meet standards before bringing products to market. "One farmer can supply tens or even hundreds of tons of vegetables annually, but there are still no adequate safety management measures. This is a management loophole that needs attention and tightening," he added.

From a management perspective, Bui Nguyen Anh Tuan suggested unifying food safety management under one authority. Management agencies should prioritize budget allocation for market renovations, socialize infrastructure investment, and increase control over goods, especially fresh food.

Phuong Dung