On December 7, HCMC Department of Industry and Trade officially announced the system of safe food selling points meeting VietGap, GlobalGap, HACCP. This is a result of the process of implementing “Pilot model for Food Safety and Hygiene Management in HCMC in 2013-2015. By doing this, HCMC becomes the first locality of the whole country to successfully implement the first steps of the model of production and distribution of safe food.


First 5 units registered for safe food selling points

Deputy Director of HCMC Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Ngoc Hoa said there are first 5 units registering for distributing products of VietGap, GlobalGap, HACCP in HCMC. Main products including vegetable, roots, cattle and poultry meat, egg, etc, have been granted certificates of VietGap standard. HCMC has laid out common criteria for stores, each group of projects will be managed under process of geographical indications from slaughterhouses to selling points.

Specifically, SATRA registers for distributing safe vegetable and pork meat under VietGap standard at Satramart, Satrafood. Vissan distributes VietGap pork and Escas beef at all of its fresh meat stores such as Co.opmart, Co.opFOod, Satrafood and 31 Vissan shops. Sagrifood also provides VietGap pork, chicken meat and processed food at supermarkets and convenience stores of Saigon Co.op and 5 Sagrifood stores. While Anh Dao Co-operative distributes vegetables and fruits meeting VietGap and GlobalGap at its 2 convenience stores in District 1 and Phu Nhuan District.

Saigon Co.op distributes 4000 necessities meeting ISO, HACCP, GMP and 224 items of vegetables, chicken meat, eggs and pork meeting VietGap at 176 selling points of Co.omart, Co.opXtra and Co.opFood. Saigon Co.op also commits to coordinate with localities to replicate this model nationwide.

At the conference on goods supply for the 2016 Lunar New Year, enterprises from provinces and cities are very happy that their worries about where to sell their VietGap products are solved. Mr. Phan Kim Sa, Deputy Director of Dong Thap Department of Industry and Trade, said after the conference, departments and agencies of Dong Thap province will support enterprises to re-organized production activities to provide VietGap products to HCMC. According to enterprises under market stabilization program, the ability of increasing distribution of VietGap products is very positive because the production volume is very big.

Giving priority to production and distribution of clean food

Mr. Le Van Khoa, Director of HCMC Department of Industry and Trade, commented that from 2013, the Department carried out a connection program with Saigon Co.op to arrange a private area at Co.opmart system to distribute vegetables and fruits meeting VietGap standard. Regarding to traditional distribution system, 2 markets have registered for implementing model of food safety market including Hoc Mon and Ben Thanh markets. “In reality, implementation of TPAT distribution system chain is not simple due to limited supply of VietGap products, but without determination of HCMC, it is not clear when this model can be done”, said Mr. Khoa

With 246 selling points and 5 units, HCMC is implementing its supply chain under form of successive method of substitution, doing and drawing experience at the same time. In order to stabilize the supply, HCMC Department of Industry and Trade requests suppliers to give priority to supplying VietGap products to shops of participants.

With establishment of selling point chain, HCMC is encouraging and supporting enterprises, cooperatives to strengthen their investment and to develop more animal farming and crops meeting VietGap standard, to drive back production of poor quality and unsafe products and to look forward to a modern and civilized urban area.

HCM CITYWEB