Businesses across the country have developed plans to ensure sufficient supplies of quality commodities meeting food safety and hygiene standards, in the hope that Vietnamese people will celebrate a joyful and happy Lunar New Year Festival (Tet) in the next two weeks.

Due to a high demand for food during the Tet holiday, Hanoi businesses are working full steam to supply the market with a variety of products. Purchasing power in January in Hanoi is expected to increase by 20 percent compared to previous months. Notably, the sale of processed seafood and vegetables is expected to increase by 40 percent, while that of electrical and electronics products and petrol will rise by between 120-156 percent.

However, the Hanoi Trade Department said that Hanoi will not face a shortage of commodities this Tet, as local businesses devised plans to purchase food and foodstuff from neighbouring provinces. In the meantime, measures have been taken to stabilise the market prices of essential commodities and avoid price hikes.

“We strengthened contacts with Hanoi’s neighbours to ensure an abundant supply of Tet commodities for local people,” said Nguyen Manh Hoang, director of the Hanoi Trade Department. “We also asked market management forces to enhance inspection to prevent the flow of bad quality and contraband goods from entering the city.”

In the past two weeks, local people have begun to use poultry products again after the bird flu epidemic was contained across the country. Seizing this golden chance, many businesses such as Phuc Thinh and Thuy Phuong invested in modern production lines to turn out safe chicken products.

Phuc Thinh Joint Stock Company is one of the first businesses in Hanoi to provide a great deal of safe poultry products to the market. Vuong Tien Ngoc, head of the company management board, said that Phuc Thinh safe chicken products meet food safety and hygiene regulations. All processes, from breeding, slaughtering to circulation, are under strict scrutiny. To meet the increasing demand for safe chickens, he said the company has established contacts with localities and large reputable breeding farms to ensure a sufficient supply of live poultry for slaughtering.

To ensure safe poultry products for local people, Hoang Khai, director of Hanoi Veterinary Centre, called for enhancing inspection work and slaughtering poultry at concentrated abattoirs. Slaughtering procedures should be under strict scrutiny from the beginning till the sealing process. All sealed and packed chickens must be stored in special conditions.

Meanwhile, trade centres and supermarkets offer a wide variety of Tet goods, ranging from confectioneries such as cookies and candied fruits to dried food such as sticky rice, mushrooms and vermicelli.

To stop fake goods entering Big C supermarket, Nguyen Thai Dzung, deputy general director of the supermarket said priority has been given to inspection work. At the same time, he said the supermarket has also asked suppliers to ensure quality products for Big C, while controlling processing procedures for ready-made products.

VOV