The majority of District 1’s street vendors do not comply with health standards, according to a recent report, but the situation has improved since 2015.
According to Tuoi Tre, officials unveiled the findings last Thursday at a meeting conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee. The report, compiled using data from health inspections carried out by various public clinics, showed that few street food vendors in downtown Saigon met food safety standards during the 2015-2016 period.
The document evaluated a new set of food safety laws that was put in place two years ago. Statistics revealed that of the 2,222 local vendors inspected in 2016 by 10 public clinics, only 663 satisfied food safety standards, or roughly 30%.
While this is certainly worrisome for local consumers, the situation was much worse in 2015, when a similar report showed only 11% of food stalls passing the test.
In recent months, Saigon authorities have rolled out a range of policies aimed at improving the city’s general food safety, including mobile applications to help consumers track the origin of their pork and produce.
District 1’s Center for Preventive Medicine is also planning to remove food stalls from a handful of streets – namely Le Duan, Phung Khac Khoan and Le Cong Kieu – by the end of the year, according to Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, deputy chairwoman of the local People’s Committee.
