DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 1

Dirty Food In Vietnam: Problems, Causes And The Government Intervention

Nguyễn Đoan Trang

Student ID: GBH211235 _ Class: GBH1107

University of Greenwich (Vietnam)

 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 2

Abstract:

Food is an important part of human survival. But, the rapid rise of dirty food as a weapon to kill our own lives. The

health of consumers is almost greatly affected, and many health problems are occurring related to absorption and

consumption. Not only that but the environment is also polluted when contaminated with harmful substances of

dirty food. The reason for this situation is due to the great demand and ambition of the business people and the lack

of strict supervision of the agencies on the food production process. Therefore, the state has made laws as well as

implemented and handled strong cases of product safety violations. The scenario, its impact, and the government

intervention to the issue will all be examined in more detail in the next article.

Keywords: Dirty food, the rapid rise of dirty food, the government intervention.
 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 3

Table of Contents
Abstract: .......................................................................................................................................................... 2
I. Introduc1on: ................................................................................................................................................. 4
II. Ra1onale: .................................................................................................................................................... 4
III. In-depth analysis: ........................................................................................................................................ 5
3.1 Current problems:.................................................................................................................................................. 5
3.2 Possible causes: ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
3.3 The Gorvenment or the State’s Solu?ons ............................................................................................................... 6
3.4 Evalua?on and Recommenda?on: ......................................................................................................................... 7
IV. Conclusion: .................................................................................................................................................. 7
V. Reference list:............................................................................................................................................... 9
 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 4

I. Introduction:

At present, life is more and more developed, so the living standard of people is increasing, besides there is a

question-and-answer shop for the safety of foods that serve as daily dining requirements. Food stores gradually

opened up more to catch up with the trend of life, so a large number of dirty and unknown foods appeared, taking

the name of clean food to promote to the consumer. Human health is greatly affected when using most dirty food

sources.

As evidenced by statistics from the Ministry of Health, food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses are currently

very major problems in Vietnam. Over 5,000 people become infected with food poisoning each year, on average,

in close to 170 instances, and over 27 people pass away as a result. More than 4 million individuals were sickened

and 123 people died as a result of 7 foodborne diseases that were reported between 2011 and 2016. More than

200,000 new cases and 70,000 fatalities from cancer are reported annually (Hai Dang, 2021). Simply enter the

search "dirty food" into Google, and more than 17 million results are returned in just 0.47 seconds. Delegate Tran

Ngoc Vinh once said: "The road from the stomach to the graveyard has never been so short and easy", which most

clearly reflects the situation of dirty food (Huong Thu, 2015).

In this article, the situation of rising food production and consumption, as well as government intervention in the

issue of individuals being sold dangerous items will be analyzed. In the next section, the general situation will be

presented, followed by current problems, causes and solutions by the government, more broadly than coming up

with our solutions. This essay will be discussed the status of the dirty food trade that is still rampant in the market

and the best problem-solving guide to alleviate the situation.

II. Rationale:

The body's regular development and function are ensured by food, which is the primary source of energy and

nutrients for humans. Food that has been tainted, spoilt, or otherwise tainted is referred to as dirty food (Fooddnk,

2020). According to the Vietnam Cancer Association, dirty food is the main cause of cancer and accounts for nearly

40% of the causes of cancer. Therefore, the government will find and evaluate a way to fix this problem as
 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 5

definitively and as quickly as possible, not allowing it to last continuously. This analysis discusses one aspect of

the problem and finds out the policies to eliminate the problem.

III. In-depth analysis:

3.1 Current problems:

First of all, dirty food has the biggest impact on human health. Chemicals found in unclean food include pesticides,

color dyes used in food preservation and processing, anti-odor medications for meats, and harmful industrial

chemicals. The primary causes of injury to the body comprise food sources that are unclean, unsafe, and tainted

with physical and chemical substances. Food poisoning's immediate effects, which range from moderate to severe,

include stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The most hazardous condition is cancer, which is brought on by the

continuous buildup of poisons in contaminated food and causes symptoms that don't appear immediately.

Additionally, due to repeated exposure to hazardous substances, eating unclean food can lead to a variety of unusual

ailments in both customers and the workers who prepare it. For example, children may experience precocious

puberty, obesity due to stimulant-fed meats, or inorganic substances that cause chromosomal mutations (tuoitre

online, 2015).

Secondly, the use of pesticides and other hazardous stimulants on dirty food contributes to environmental

contamination, and those who apply them directly later have toxic side effects. When vegetables and fruits are

sprayed with water, numerous chemicals are utilized, which results in an excess of chemicals that seep into the soil

and water and then scatter into the air, polluting the environment and causing contaminated produce. Additionally,

when waste items like packaging, chemical plant preservative containers, growth hormones, or foods are tossed

into the environment in the incorrect places, nature will break them down and create harmful compounds. The

environment will become contaminated by harmful, toxic microbes. Plant and animal diseases can be brought on

by this, among other things. Farmers saturate fruits and vegetables with chemicals over time; these chemicals then

seep into the ground and into the water that people drink. When using groundwater and well water for food

preparation, people are much more likely to become ill from contaminated food than from contaminated residential

water sources (Hai Dang, 2021).

 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 6

3.2 Possible causes:

First, the cause of the appearance of dirty food is human self-interest. Sellers only care about high profit instead of

product quality to consumers. The first thing that attracts buyers is appearance. Sellers abuse that and use different

ways such as cutting ingredients and using additives and chemicals to make the food fresh and attractive. Not only

that, the situation of freely trading and manufacturing harmful chemicals on the market also faces many difficulties

in the control process of the authorities.

Secondly, loss of work produced for the sake of processing and food preservation may also result. Regulations are

not followed during the production process, and neither is the product conserved. Additionally, insects are used

during manufacture, resulting in bacterial contamination of the items. Food is only kept at room temperature or at

outside temperature for perishable and perishable foods, not at a cold temperature or frozen for raw foods.

Additionally, the food safety management agency is still underdeveloped, and the existing management agencies'

efforts at food management, inspection, and prevention, as well as the handling law, are insufficient to prevent and

curtail violations of microbiological food safety. Food contamination is continuing on the rise as a result of people

who refuse to support anti-food work.

3.3 The Gorvenment or the State’s Solutions

First, the state has improved the guidelines for product management and food safety, disseminated information

about the performance of agricultural materials, and carried out monitoring, inspection, and severe enforcement of

the condition of farming materials and food safety. To quickly identify and address dangerous samples, the agencies

specifically collected surveillance samples for key, high-consumption, high-risk products in the first six months of

2019. No prohibited substances were found in animal husbandry as a result and the proportion of agro-forestry-

fishery product samples that were violated decreased from 1.7% to 22.3% compared to the same time in 2018.

Additionally, the State mandates that units maintain and increase control over the process of import, trade, and

circulation, as well as control over slaughter cleanliness (Chinhphu.vn, 2019).

Second, state agencies have imposed severe sanctions on establishments that disregard the rules governing food

hygiene inspection. For instance, under Article 317 of the Penal Code, the act of utilizing chemicals in food
 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 7

production and trading activities may be considered a violation of the rules governing food safety. Depending on

the type and severity of the infraction, offenders may be subject to fines of up to 500,000 VND or sentences of up

to 20 years in jail (Duyen Tran, 2021).

3.4 Evaluation and Recommendation:

The state has been doing quite well in the use and enforcement of laws and measures to eliminate and reduce the

trade in contaminated food. But it seems, dirty food is still a painful and difficult problem to solve because there

are still many people who trade and trade in food that is not of good quality and safe for people. For example, at

the beginning of 2022, the operational forces found roughly 10 tons of chicken cartilage and chicken feet packed

in pineapple sacks in the cold storage of a food company in Thanh Hoa. Many of the products were also broken

and odorous or the product package is printed in foreign letters, without Vietnamese sub-labels, and a clear

expiration date. (Thai San, 2022). Despite fines and imprisonment laws, these business criminals still find ways to

bring poor-quality food into the consumer market. Specifically, to avoid detection, objects will enter goods and

move at night, often changing the route.

Thus, to be able to improve this problem, the state needs to be more strict in the exchange of food as well as food

supply services both at home and abroad, requiring traders to do business. certificate of authenticity and guarantee

as well as penalties if the product quality is violated. Not only that, the state should allow and encourage the

organization of food propaganda sessions so that people can grasp and improve their understanding of food.

IV. Conclusion:

In conclusion, this report has outlined the current situation, its effects as well as consequences, causes, and urgent

solutions to the problem of dirty food. More importantly, the state has provided solutions and strict supervision for

food production and trade. But besides that, there are still limitations, and have not completely solved this problem.

The state is an indispensable part of the fight to eliminate contaminated food and bring about a safe life for the

people, especially concerning health as well as the economy. The action of the state needs to be more reasonable

and quick to cope with the development of dirty food in time. With the current solutions that the state has given, I
 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 8

think the state should make its requirements and designate all people to implement and comply with food safety

laws.
 DIRTY FOOD IN VIETNAM: PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 9

V. Reference list:

Chinhphu.vn, 2019. Đã áp dụng xử lý hình sự hành vi kinh doanh thực phẩm bẩn. [online]

Available at: https://baochinhphu.vn/da-ap-dung-xu-ly-hinh-su-hanh-vi-kinh-doanh-thuc-pham-ban-

102260990.htm

[Accessed 31 Oc 2022]

Duyen, T., 2021. Kinh doanh thực phẩm bẩn bị xử lý như thế nào?. [online]

Available at: http://fdvn.vn/kinh-doanh-thuc-pham-ban-bi-xu-ly-nhu-the-nao/

[Accessed 31 Oc 2022]

Hai, D., 2021. Ô nhiễm độc hại trong thực phẩm và những tác động đến sức khoẻ con người.

[online]

Available at: https://huongtra.thuathienhue.gov.vn/?gd=8&cn=28&tc=30749

[Accessed 1 Nov 2022]

Huong, T., 2015. Đại biển Trần Ngọc Vinh: ‘ Con đường từ dạ dày đến nghĩa địa chưa bao giờ ngắn đến thế ‘.

[online]

Available at: https://vnexpress.net/dai-bieu-tran-ngoc-vinh-con-duong-tu-da-day-den-nghia-dia-chua-bao-gio-

ngan-the-3313306.html

[Accessed 1 Nov 2022]

Thai, S., 2022. Cần nghiêm trị những kể buôn bán thực phẩm bẩn. [online]

Available at: https://kinhtedothi.vn/can-nghiem-tri-nhung-ke-buon-ban-thuc-pham-ban.html

[Accessed 2 Nov 2022]

Tuổi trẻ online, 2015. Thực phẩm bẩn, ảnh hưởng giống nòi. [online]

Available at: https://tuoitre.vn/noi-lo-thuc-pham-ban-705249.htm

[Accessed 2 Nov 2022]

Word Count: 1898