Focusing on developing safe food supply chains

– In order to promote food safety management, over the past time, the Sub-Department of Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Management has built and developed safe food supply chains. Thereby, it helps contribute to strict control of food safety, gradually improving the value of agricultural, forestry and fishery products to meet the needs of consumers.

Dong Que restaurant, That Khe township, Trang Dinh district receives an average of 70 to 100 customers every day. Customers are mainly tourists and those who order meals for conferences and weddings in the district. Ms. Vu Thi Ngoc Diep, restaurant owner, said: To meet the needs of customers, the restaurant always prioritizes choosing local specialty products with delicious quality, ensuring food safety. Accordingly, on busy peak days, every day, the restaurant buys from 30 to 40 roasted ducks from Thu Hang roasted duck establishment (That Khe township, Trang Dinh district) to serve customers to enjoy on the spot and gift package.

It is known that the Thu Hang roasted duck establishment is one of the establishments that produce and trade roasted duck products and has been granted a food safety supply chain certificate since 2021. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang, the owner of the establishment said: On average, every day, the establishment sells from 40 to 50 bowls of Khau Nhuc, from 80 to 100 roasted ducks. On holidays, Tet the establishment can sell from 100 to 200 roasted ducks, the main market is restaurants and kitchens in the district; customers in provinces and cities such as Bac Ninh, Hanoi and so on.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Xiem, owner of Hong Xiem roasted duck establishment, Lang Son city, packed roasted ducks to send to customers in Hanoi

According to the Sub-Department of Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Management, from 2016 to now, the sector has successfully built 20 safe food supply chains with essential products for people’s daily consumption. Particularly in 2021, the sector built nine safe food supply chains, exceeding 150% of the plan.

The chains include chains of clean vegetables, fruits, macadamia nuts, sachi (Cao Loc district); production chain of mushrooms, vegetables, honey, macadamia nuts, roasted duck (Lang Son city); custard apple chain (Chi Lang district); chain of golden sticky rice, fish of all kinds (Bac Son district); chain of golden bee sticky rice, bao thai pink rice, black jelly, roasted ducks, khau nhuc (Trang Dinh district); potato and sweet potato chain (Loc Binh district); Vanh Khuyen persimmon chain (Van Lang district); chain of grilled spring rolls, Erythropalum scandens Blume tea (Huu Lung district).

Accordingly, safe food supply chains are controlled at all stages, from production to consumption. All stages apply a quality management process, ensure traceability and have a commitment to food safety. Currently, many restaurants and supermarkets in the province have chosen products that are certified for safe food chains to meet customers’ increasing demand for clean food . For example: Thao Vien restaurant, Huong Sen buy specialty roasted ducks from Hong Xiem roasted duck establishment; Thanh Do supermarket buys macadamia nuts from Hoang Lien MC Co., Ltd and so forth.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Vinh Trai ward, Lang Son city said: In the past, she often bought vegetables at the market. However, for almost a year now, instead of buying vegetables at the market, she chooses to buy them at kiosks selling vegetables at the riverside market. Vegetable products here are always fresh and delicious, produced by cooperatives and have been certified for safety. She feels more secure when choosing vegetables and tubers here for family meals.

To build and develop safe food supply chains, every year, the Sub-Department of Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Management has integrated propaganda on the content of building and developing a safe food supply chain for over 2,000 people. Every month, the Sub-department takes samples one to two times at production and business establishments for monitoring. As a result, the products in the chain all meet the food safety criteria. Along with that, the Sub-Department supports printing packaging, labels for product identification, traceability; regularly update information of chains on websites, electronic portals, agricultural product trading floors to promote and introduce products to consumers inside and outside the province.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Deputy Director of the Sub-Department of Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Management, said: The built safe food supply chains have contributed to strict control of food safety, step by step improving the value of agricultural, forestry and fishery products. Through the identification logo, consumers can easily distinguish and choose products that have been controlled for food safety according to the chain, meeting people’s consumption needs.

In 2022, the Sub-Department plans to build five safe food supply chains, in which, by the end of the year, all ten districts and the city in the province will safe food supply chains to meet the people’s needs of clean food. Currently, the Sub-Department is conducting a survey, selecting qualified production and business establishments, then providing guidance and legal support to complete the dossier and issue certification according to regulations. At the same time, the Sub-Department will strengthen support for production linkages, encourage certified establishments to diversify products, expand the scope of supply and promote the expansion of markets to consume safety agro-forestry-fishery products.