Vietnam Police Propose Criminalizing Banned Chemicals Use in Food Processing

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has proposed criminalizing the use of banned chemicals in food processing in order to prevent food poisoning and protect consumers’ health. According to the ministry’s proposal, processing, supplying and selling foodstuff which does not meet food safety requirements will be charged criminally. The proposal is made amid rising violations in usage of toxic chemicals in producing and preserving foodstuff nationwide. According to the government’s statistics, 20,000 cases have been recorded, of which foodstuff is found not to meet quality and safety requirements every year. So far, violators are fined with small sum of money. A huge volume of substandard foodstuff is sold across the nation every day, however, few producers have been charged. Local farmers have been spraying too much pesticide to protect their crops while animal raisers have used banned antibiotics and growth regulators to get their animals faster growth. Foodstuff producers have used toxic additives in food processing. Recently, authorities in the southern province of Tien Giang found some local bread producers to use Potassium bromate (KBrO3) in bread production. The substance is cancer-causing chemical, according to international research. Massive food poisoning is rampant in Vietnam where state agencies have loosened control over spraying of pesticides and usage of harmful additives in food processing. In the first four months of this year, there were 32 serious food poisoning cases killing 10 and affecting 1,074 others, according to the government statistics. (Thoi Bao Kinh Doanh – Business Times May 13)