Colonel, Doctor Tran Viet Phuong, Deputy Director of the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), shared this information at the "Preventing Unsafe Food - Responsibility and Action" forum organized by Cong an nhan dan Newspaper on 2/7.
"We cannot discuss sustainable development or strengthen social trust when unsafe food infiltrates people's daily meals," Colonel Phuong stated, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
Recent data from the Ministry of Public Security highlights the severity of fake and substandard food issues. Out of nearly 6,000 detected violations, authorities initiated criminal proceedings in 123 cases involving 249 defendants.
During the same period, the Market Management Force inspected and addressed over 2,100 cases, imposing administrative fines totaling nearly 17 billion VND. They also transferred 128 cases with criminal indicators to investigative agencies. Common violations included trading products of unclear origin, breaching storage conditions, mislabeling, and self-declaring products without prior inspection.
Authorities uncovered many serious incidents across the country, from north to south. In Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Bac Ninh, culprits used diseased pork for food processing. Producers in Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh applied the chemical 6-Benzylaminopurine to stimulate bean sprout growth. Meanwhile, facilities in TP HCM used borax in noodles and industrial sodium silicate for preliminary snail processing. Operations producing fake functional foods were also dismantled in Thanh Hoa and Dak Lak.
 |
Colonel, Doctor Tran Viet Phuong provides information at the forum. Photo: Tran Hang |
According to Colonel Tran Viet Phuong, food safety crimes are no longer isolated incidents but have evolved into organized "deceitful ecosystems." These groups meticulously assign roles, using corporate entities as fronts to legitimize documentation, advertise, and distribute products via e-commerce platforms to conceal illicit profits.
From a medical perspective, Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Anti-Poison Center at Bach Mai Hospital, identified three main causes of food poisoning: chemicals, microorganisms, and natural toxins. The chemical category is particularly concerning, as the substances used in production and trade are rapidly changing and becoming more diverse.
Experts at the forum attributed the continued presence of unsafe food in the market to weak post-inspection processes. Many products only require self-declaration without prior assessment before market entry. The lure of large profits motivates many individuals to disregard legal regulations.
To combat this issue, experts proposed enhancing inter-agency coordination and focusing on strict control of wholesale markets, cold storage facilities, and digital platforms. Chu Quoc Thinh, Director of the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health), announced that the revised Food Safety Law will prioritize establishing a national data system.
"This system will digitize the entire product lifecycle and connect data from customs to localities," Mr. Thinh explained. He added that this measure will enable authorities to accurately trace origins, monitor financial flows and goods, and thoroughly address fraudulent activities at their root.
Le Nga
