Experts and officials discussed about measures to curb low-quality and unhygienic food at the conference about safe agriculture products on July 15.

10.93% of the meat samples categorised as low quality and unhygienic

Phung Huu Hao, vice head of the National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department said the amount of unhygienic food tested decreased slightly with 10.93% of the meat samples categorised as low quality and unhygienic while 9.7% contained microbiological risks. However, Hao said the number was still high.

Vu Tuan Anh from the Vietnam Institute of Economics said no officials had been punished for letting unhygienic food run rampant. Officials are covering up for each other and inspections were insufficient.

According to Hao, there is already a sufficient legal framework and policy to implement the World Trade Organisation’s sanitary and phytosanitary measures. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also issued decisions on assignments in order to clarify the responsibilities of the agencies and between central and local levels.

However Luong Van Tu, a former minister of industry and trade, thinks that the current policies and regulations are lacking.

“The authorities haven't clarified even basic definitions like what is ‘dirty’ coffee?" Tu said, "The Ministry of Health controls food safety but the Ministry of Agriculture manages cultivated land and the Ministry of Industry and Trade manages food circulation. Co-operation between agencies is extremely important if the management is divided up like this."

According to lawyer Ngo Van Hiep, most of the cases have been discovered by the public and media. Inspection teams and local authorities only responded passively. "Light fines and punishments is also a problem that needs to be reconsidered," he said.

Hoang Thanh Van, head of Department of Livestock Production agreed and said punishments must be strict enough and they should carry out prosecutions to scare off possible offenders.

"If the punishments in the Penal Code are revised, I believe the number of people use forbidden chemicals in agriculture will decrease sharply," he said.