Penalties on food safety violations to be harsher in 2019

Harsh penalties on food safety violations will be imposed in 2019, said Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Management Board Pham Khanh Phong Lan at a meeting yesterday.

Penalties on food safety violations to be harsher in 2019
Based on the decree No. 115 on fines for food safety, food inspectors will strengthen, monitoring to deter evildoers from committing the violation as well as administrative reform to issue license to food business.
In 2019, 12 inspection teams will be set up to supervise wholesale and retail markets citywide. In addition, the inspection teams will work with their peers from local agencies to carry out visit to business of food.
Ms. Phong Lan stressed that it is scheduled that 8,187 producers, transport businesses, importers and exporters will be checked this year.
According to Ms. Phong Lan, 764 of 3,967 companies the board visted in 2018 were found violate the regulation accounting for 19.25 percent. Inspectors imposed fines of VND7.4 billion ($318,896) on 694 facilities while continuing to handle others.
Additionally, seven companies were suspended from operation and two others were forced to remove advertising. 36,961 kilograms of unsafe food and 233,533 substandard food in the form of tablets were destroyed.
Ms. Phong Lan moaned of lack of personnel that results in loopholes for some evildoers to evade serving the fines.

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