Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A pilot project to enhance the management of freshfruit stores in Hanoi has improved consumer awareness of food safety, butsellers' adherence to food safety regulations remains a problem.

Tran Thi Phuong Lan, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Industry andTrade (DoIT), said developing a civilised and modern market was an initiativeof the city authority to boost the awareness and responsibility of sellers andcitizens in ensuring food safety.

According to DoIT, there are 798 fruits shops in the capital's 12 urbandistricts. Of these, 780 have met standards as of the end of July.

The department has organised training for officials in charge of food safetymanagement and fruit stores in these districts. It has also worked with foodpreservation equipment providers - Sanaky and Alaska – that agreed to selltheir products to fruit shop owners in the city for 10-15 percent lower thanmarket price.

Nguyen Manh Ha, vice chairman of the Long Bien District People’s Committee,said positive changes have been made over the past year in his district.

“Ninety percent of fruit stores have shelves and all businesses sellingready-cooked food have cabinets to store food,” he said, adding that all storeshave signed a food safety commitment.

Tran Thi Hien, a fruit seller in Long Bien district’s Ngoc Lam market, saidsince the market’s management board promoted a programme on "civilisedtrade", she has realised her duty is to follow the regulations.

“I’ve committed myself to fight trade fraud. The price of each kind of fruitmust be publicised.

"I promise to treat customers friendly and with the most hospitality,” shetold Viet Nam News.

While efforts to improve the food service have had success, experts saidchallenges remain.

The quantity of fruits supplied from Hanoi is only 30 percent while 70 percentis imported from other provinces and cities. Thus, it was difficult for manywholesalers to provide bills of sale to prove where the food comes from.

Many consumers don’t pay attention to product origin and buy fruit in placesconvenient for them, allowing the existence of fruit street vendors.

Some market management boards failed to fulfil their duties so substandard foodstill existed in some places.

To ensure the effectiveness of the initiative, Lan said the DoIT would workwith relevant units to deal with street vendors.

The department has been drafting a project to supply safe fruits to localconsumers, she said.

Le Hong Thang, director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, said theproject would soon be expanded to all fruit shops in the capital city includingthose at wholesale markets. Awareness campaigns will also be strengthened tospread knowledge about the project’s objective as well as regulations on thetrade of fruits.

The department plans to collaborate with districts’ People’s Committee inadvising fruit stores to complete procedures to receive project signboards, hesaid.

Thang said during the project’s implementation, the Hanoi Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development has worked with the association of small andmedium-size enterprises to apply QR codes for tracing the origin ofagricultural products in the city.

“So far, 80.5 percent of the city’s fruit stores use QR codes,” he said.

Chu Phu My, director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said the department would continue working with other provincesand cities in exchanging information relating to food safety, supervising andadvertising their safe food in Hanoi.

Relevant departments were asked to submit recommendations to the municipalauthority regarding the establishment of a special zone dedicated to the saleof safe agricultural products with clear origin at traditional and wholesale markets,he said. – VNS/VNA