Recently, there have been several large-scale food poisoning incidents occurring across the country. Therefore, on May 17, 2024, Binh Duong provincial Food Safety Steering Committee issued a response plan for food poisoning in the province. Organizations and individuals managing, trading and producing food in the province must proactively respond, address and promptly rectify the consequences of food poisoning incidents to minimize impacts when food poisoning cases occur. The response contents are as follows:

*Preparedness for food poisoning incidents: First, there must be steering committees at all levels, working groups, investigation teams, rapid response teams and hotlines to receive information when food poisoning incidents occur. Additionally, public communication, inspection and monitoring of food safety must be conducted regularly to minimize the risk of food poisoning.

*Investigation and handling procedures for food poisoning incidents:

Step 1: Report food poisoning incidents if you are suspected or detected them to the nearest health agency, specifically:

-Commune health stations.

-Health centers of districts, towns and cities.

-Health departments of districts, towns and cities.

-Food safety sub-department.

-Department of Health.

Step 2: The information recipients must immediately report to their unit leader. After that, leaders of the units must urgently consider and decide or propose to the People's Committee at the same level and relevant specialized agencies a directive plan to handle food poisoning incidents based on the situations outlined in this plan.

Step 3: Provide patients with first aid, treament: Depending on the actual situation, medical facilities should receive, provide first aid, treat patients promptly and be ready to assist them if neccesary.

Step 4: Organize the investigation of food poisoning: The investigation steps will follow the regulations outlined in the Ministry of Health’s Decision No. 39/2006/QD-BYT dated December 13, 2006 on the issuance of “Regulations on Investigating Food Poisoning”.

Step 5: Conclude and report the results of the food poisoning investigation: This will be carried out under the 11-step food poisoning investigation process and report results under the Ministry of Health’s Decision No. 3081/QD-BYT dated July 15, 2020, on the issuance of “Report regulations and templates on food safety within the healthcare sector's management scope”.

*Response plans for food poisoning incidents: There are three response scenarios:

-Scenario 1: If fewer than 30 people are affected by food poisoning and there are no fatalities.

Leadership level: The district-level steering committee mobilizes resources to respond to and handle food poisoning and coordinates with the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Department of Industry and Trade to trace the source and handle the contaminated food under their assigned functions;

Emergency response: Provide first aid and treatment for affected individuals at the nearest healthcare facilities; if their conditions are more severe, transfer them to higher-level hospitals.

Investigation and source tracing: Conducted under the Decision No. 39/2006/QD-BYT dated December 13, 2006;

Logistics: Ensure adequate supplies of medicines, materials, chemicals, equipment and means for patient care and handling of food poisoning.

-Scenario 2: If 30 or more people are affected or if there are fatalities.

Leadership level: The district-level steering committee mobilizes resources to respond to and handle food poisoning, coordinating with the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Department of Industry and Trade while reporting daily to provincial Party Committee and People's Committee on the situation of food poisoning;

Emergency care and treatment for individuals affected by food poisoning: First aid on-site and at the nearest medical facilities, with transfer to higher-level hospitals if conditions are more severe

Investigation and source tracing: Conducted under the Decision No. 39/2006/QD-BYT dated December 12, 2006. Additionally, the Department of Health will direct its  agencies to quickly coordinate with the district-level People’s Committee and relevant authorities to investigate the cause of food poisoning incidents. In case of fatalities, the forensic center will work with police agencies to conduct autopsies and collect organs, blood, stomach contents, urine, and fece for toxicological analysis, histopathology and microbiological testing to determine the cause of death.

Logistics: Ensure adequate supplies of medicines, materials, chemicals, equipment, and means for patient care and handling of food poisoning; Prepare a plan to establish a temporary field hospital to treat large numbers of food poisoning patients and provide support to families of patients who have died from food poisoning.

-Scenario 3: If food poisoning incidents occur at enterprises in industrial parks or compounds in the province.

Leadership level: Provincial food safety steering committee (led by the Department of Health) mobilizes resources to respond to and handle food poisoning while coordinating with the district-level People’s Committee;  daily reports to provincial Party Committee and People's Committee on the situation of food poisoning. Additionally, company leaders will direct relevant departments to quickly prepare suitable locations and necessary equipment under the food poisoning response plan to coordinate with the health sector for on-site emergency care and treatment (as required by the health sector).

Emergency and treatment of people with food poisoning: responding to 2 cases

+If affected individuals fall ill at different times: Treat at the nearest medical facilities, prioritizing severe cases for transfer to higher-level facilities while minimizing the risk of fatalities.

+If affected individuals fall ill simultaneously (large numbers): the Department of Health will advise provincial People’s Committee to establish a field hospital providing first aid for food poisoning patients under the established plan and direct the nearest provincial hospital to deploy a mobile emergency team to the site to coordinate with local health centers for on-site treatment. Severe cases should be prioritized for transfer to hospitals for treatment.

+Investigation and source tracing: the Department of Health will lead the investigation, coordinating with the district-level People’s Committee where the incident occurred, the management boards of industrial parks, and the Department of Industry and Trade (for industrial compound) to investigate the cause of the food poisoning, taking samples of suspected food and water sources for testing. Tracing the source of contaminated food, handling food that causes poisoning, addressing violations of food safety laws and providing information to the public to keep the community alert will be the responsibility of the relevant specialized provincial authorities based on their jurisdiction pertaining to health, agriculture-rural development, industry and trade.

+Logistics: Ensure adequate supplies of medicines, materials, chemicals, equipment, and means for patient care and handling of food poisoning. Prepare a plan to establish field hospitals to treat a large number of food poisoning patients and provide support to families of patients who have died from food poisoning.

* With the three response plans implemented under procedures and rapid response to minimize food poisoning incidents, attention is also given to communication efforts, including:

+Organizing food safety and food poisoning prevention campaigns; disseminating information through mass media to educate the public on how to protect themselves and their families.

+Timely provision of food poisoning incident information to the media to stabilize and prevent public panic.

+Regular monitoring of social media to promptly detect and rigorously handle false information about food poisoning incidents that could cause public panic. Regarding the responsibilities of the Department of Industry and Trade in responding to food poisoning incidents:

-Responsible for providing complete documents and information related to the suspected food sources causing poisoning within its competence.

-Assign personnel to coordinate with the district-level People’s Committee and Department of Health to investigate the causes of food poisoning (when proposed).

- Lead in tracing the origin and handling of food products that do not meet safety standards within their area of management; address administrative violations under current regulations; inform the public to raise awareness.

-Request companies under its competence to develop response plans for food poisoning incidents to proactively address all situations and minimize impacts on the lives and health of workers and business-production operations; arrange locations such as halls, workshops, etc that meets the basic requirements for receiving, providing patients with on-site first aid if neccesary…

-Coordinate with the Department of Health to update lists, conduct propaganda on food safety and inspect compliance with food safety regulations in enterprises with collective kitchens in industrial compounds.

-Lead and coordinate with the district People’s Committee to disseminate food safety knowledge to food production and trading establishments under its management.

-Organize communication activities about food safety and food poisoning prevention in its fields.

-Strengthen inspection and post-inspection activities regarding food safety within its competence; promptly detect and prevent violations and handle them strictly under regulations.

Regarding the responsibilities of organizations, individuals, households, businesses, schools, units organizing collective kitchens, and food producing and trading  organizations, individuals when food poisoning occurs:

-Report and notify in case of food poisoning.

-Promptly organize emergency care and treatment for patients.

-Immediately cease providing meals...

-Provide papers related to the investigation of food poisoning.

-Coordinate with relevant departments, the People’s Committees of districts, towns, cities and agencies to organize emergency care and treatment for food poisoning victims; collect samples and investigate the cause of food poisoning.

-Set up response plans for food poisoning incidents at their facilities, encouraging drills to be prepared and ready to respond to minimize the consequences of food poisoning.

Reported by Thanh Tam, Tram – Department of Industrial Management-Translated by Kim Tin