Vy Dao Thanh Diep has been selling pork at Tran Van Quang market in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District for more than 20 years, but this is the first time she has witnessed an overhaul of the market’s meat vendors.
The old, dirty wooden or brick tables used to cut the meat are gone, replaced by new stainless steel equipment.
“Since my booth was renovated, it has become much cleaner and I feel more comfortable selling the meat,” Diep said, adding that she sells up to 80kg of pork daily.
Diep, along with 30 other pork sellers at Tran Van Quang market, are members of the Livestock Competitiveness and Food Safety Project (LIFSAP), which seeks to provide fresh and clean pork from pig farms to consumers.
“Hygiene was not ensured at the pork booths until the LIFSAP intervened,” said Dinh Tuyet Hong, another meat vendor.
In July, the project equipped traders with new tables, cutting boards, knives, and a new power and water supply system to ensure hygiene.
Sellers are also required to source safe pork with adequate safety and quarantine certificates.
The new environment has encouraged consumers to frequent the market and buy clean meat, instead of going to supermarkets or other high-class stores.
LIFSAP is sponsored by the World Bank and will be implemented in Vietnam by the agriculture ministry from 2010 to 2015.
The project is estimated to cost US$79.03 million, and has been carried out in 12 provinces and cities including Hanoi, Thai Binh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Cao Bang, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Long An, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and HCMC.
The project has already funded 11 markets with 422 meat vendors, with more markets to receive sponsorship soon.
LIFSAP also seeks to help pig farmers increase hygiene standards at their farms to ensure that consumers will only receive safe, clean products.
Đăng ký: VietNam News