August 28, 2012

New hygienic regulations pose threat to Vietnamese egg traders

In case the new hygienic regulations go into effect, a majority of egg traders in Ho Chi Minh City will be threatened to forcibly close their business.

Only five out of total 77 wholesale egg traders in HCM City have facilities met requirements of the Circular 34 issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which will be effective on September 3, Phan Xuan Thao, head of the city's Animal Health Department said.

The remaining 72 egg traders are under threat to be forced to shut down their business, he added.

Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued the circular to tighten control over food safety and hygiene, according to which all egg traders are required to have warehouses far from residential areas, and eggs must be keep in cold temperature in hygienic facilities.

Food poisoning remains serious problem in Vietnam. During the past five years, the country recorded 927 food poisoning cases, affecting 30,733 people with 229 deaths, according to the Vietnam Food Administration's statistics. Natural toxins, microorganism and toxic chemicals were the main culprits.