Ho Chi Minh City, October 16 – The Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development, together with the SAFEGRO Project, organized a workshop on “Food Safety Culture in Agricultural Value Chains.” The event aimed to raise awareness of food safety culture among government agencies, enterprises, and cooperatives, thereby promoting positive food safety practices.
The workshop provided delegates with strategies to improve food safety practices, promote cooperation, and ensure commitment to safety standards, ultimately enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of agricultural value chains.
Dr. Brita Ball, an international expert on food safety culture from Canada, and Ms. Do Thi Lan Nhi, a lecturer on food safety at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, shared international and Vietnamese experiences and research on food safety, food safety culture, and its relationship with Vietnam’s food safety management systems.
Additionally, the workshop featured three key discussions:
- Effective communication on food safety risks
- Effective food safety education and training to change behavior
- Effective leadership to build a positive food safety culture
The workshop was attended by key players in the food safety sector, including government agencies such as the Department of Food Safety, manufacturing companies like Saigon Food, retailers like Saigon Co.op, and universities involved in food training such as Nong Lam University, Binh Duong University, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade. Representatives from food supply chains serving Ho Chi Minh City, including Phong Thuy and the Binh Dien Market Management and Trading Company, as well as TQC Global Testing and Certification Center, were also present. In addition, several outstanding students in the food technology industry, who will soon be contributing to ensuring safe food for Vietnamese people, participated.
In addition to this workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, the Food Safety Culture Series will hold a similar workshop for stakeholders in Hanoi. As part of the series, SAFEGRO’s Canadian and Vietnamese food safety culture experts will also engage with companies, schools, cooperatives, and research groups to further explore food safety culture.
The SAFEGRO, funded by a grant from the Government of Canada, is being implemented in Vietnam from 2021 to 2025. The MARD is the Project Owner. The NAFIQMP serves as the Project Standing Agency. The Alinea International in association with the University of Guelph (UoG) is the Canadian Execution Agency (CEA). The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Industry & Trade (MOIT) and relevant food safety agencies in Vietnam. The primary objective of the Project is to support the development and enforcement of science-based and risk-based food safety regulations; while also raising consumer awareness about food safety, promoting behavioral changes that lead to an increased demand for safe and affordable agricultural products in Vietnam.
The project aims to enhance access to safe, affordable, and competitive agricultural products for Vietnamese consumers, thereby improving consumer well-being. It also seeks to raise consumer awareness of food safety and increase demand for safe agricultural products in Vietnam.
