With the theme “Ensuring food safety and preventing food poisoning in catering services and street food,” the 2026 Action Month for Food Safety aimed to heighten responsibility among all levels, sectors, organizations, food production and business individuals, and consumers. Beyond identifying and handling violations, the campaign sought to raise awareness and cultivate safe food production, trading, and consumption habits.

This year, the Action Month was conducted from April 15 to May 15 with numerous practical activities. Sectors and administrative levels organized dissemination across mass media, local broadcasting systems, and digital platforms; disseminated food safety legal regulations; mobilized the public to choose and consume safe food; commended effective production and business models; and publicly handled violations to increase deterrence.

A key focus during the peak period was stepping up inspections and checks targeting collective kitchens, ready-to-eat meal providers, food service establishments, and street food stalls. These locations serve large numbers of local residents, boarder students, workers, and patients.

Beside provincial inter-agency inspection activities, many localities proactively drafted inspection and supervision plans tailored to actual conditions. In Na Sang commune, which hosts 92 food production and trading establishments, local authorities designated intensified inspections and supervision as a core solution to promptly discover and prevent food safety risks due to its vast area and large number of catering facilities and collective kitchens.

During the peak month, Na Sang functional forces inspected 45 establishments, achieving a 100 percent compliance rate; 35 food samples were collected for testing, with all results meeting standard requirements. No food poisoning incidents occurred in the commune. These results demonstrate the efficacy of management right from the grassroots-level, establishing a foundation to continue controlling collective kitchens and food service establishments effectively.

According to health sector statistics, the province currently manages over 2,100 food production, business, and catering establishments. During the peak month, 35 inspection teams were established, inspecting 3 commune-level inter-agency steering committees on food safety and 508 food production, trading, and catering establishments. Results indicated that all 3 steering committees performed food safety management relatively well, and 100 percent of inspected establishments met requirements. Concurrently, provincial, commune, and ward levels supervised 194 food establishments according to management decentralization, achieving a 100 percent compliance rate. Throughout the Action Month for Food Safety, no individual cases or outbreaks of food poisoning were recorded in the province.

Phạm Giang Nam, Director of the Department of Health and Deputy Head of the provincial Inter-Agency Steering Committee on Food Safety, stated: “The Steering Committee required inspections to be conducted seriously, objectively, and in accordance with regulations; focusing on high-risk establishments, especially units supplying food to schools, to promptly detect infractions early. Concurrently, inspections combine with guidance to raise legal compliance awareness among food production and trading organizations and individuals, proactively preventing poisoning and protecting public health.”

However, ensuring food safety remains a regular, long-term duty that cannot be confined solely to peak periods. As demand for catering services grows and circulating food sources become increasingly diverse, safety risks remain latent without tight control. Every safe kitchen and quality-guaranteed meal represents a commitment to public health, contributing to building a safe and civilized living environment.