April 15, Binh Duong Steering Board of Food Safety and Hygiene joins other boards in provinces and cities nation wide to promote a month of actions for quality of food safety and hygiene. We had an interview with M.D. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Deputy Director of Provincial Department of Food Safety and Hygiene on the matter.In 2013, 4 cases of food poisoning have incurred inflicting 250 victims amongst others being poisoned by foods without reporting to medical centers. The poisoning cases recently in Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Da Nang, and Ben Tre have stirred up concerns of food safety and hygiene management.Reporter: Sir, why the action month has been chosen under the theme of “safety of streetside foods”? Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung: Streetside foods are various, cheap and time saving for some people, especially the working people. Streetside foods have also been cultural features of a certain regions; however, management of streetside foods has been of great concern in our localities due to unasured safety conditions, leading to poisoning and life-threatening situations. So as to encourage individuals and organizations to know of and observe the laws on food safety, we should minimize the risks, thus, we chose the theme for a month of actions in 2014. A streetside food stall is being inspected regarding food safety standards. Photo by H. Thuan. Reporter: Sir, please inform the major activities of the month.Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung: Aside from activities to assure quality of food safety, we shold have two major activities of information dissemination campaign initiation and inspections on food safety to be conducted by 3 sectors of medical, agricultural-rural development, and industry-trade under leadership of authorities in districts, towns, Thu Dau Mot City, wards, communes, and townships. We shall particularly concentrate on improving food processing of streetside stalls to asure food safety.Reporter: How would the inspections and fines should be, sir?Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung: Within the month, we shall dispatch 4 inspection teams with combined staffs from the 3 sectors as mentioned. At district and township levels, we shall aslo intensify inspection with requirements of commitments by streetside stall owners on food safety regulations. Depending on the inspection results, we shall implement warning and penalties in thorough manners without repeating mistakes in previous years. The tasks should be challenging; however, to reach out for sustainable results, we need combined efforts and higher awareness regarding food safety assurance which is to assure health of individuals, families, and the whole community.Reporter: Thank you!Interviewed by Hong Thuan – Translated by Vi Bao