Municipal authorities have stepped up inspection of food sold at wholesale markets to ensure safety during the festival, he said.
The municipal People’s Committee has also called on businesses participating in the annual price stabilisation programme to increase supply this year.
Those taking part help keep the prices of 10 groups of items steady, including rice, instant and dried noodles, RE and RS sugars, cooking oil, cattle meat, poultry meat, poultry eggs, processed foods, vegetables, seafood, and spices. Their prices are 5-10% lower than market rates.
Saigon Co.op’s multiple retail chains have already begun Tet sales so that customers can buy most of the items now and buy only fresh produce close to the Lunar New Year, which falls in mid-February.
Nguyen Vu Toan, deputy general director of Saigon Co.op, said they have stockpiled nearly VND4.9 trillion (US$212.3 million) worth of goods for Tet, a 20% increase from last year. The cooperative would increase quality inspections of its supermarkets 10-fold over normal months, he added.
Saigon Trading Group (Satra) is sourcing over 2.4 tonnes of items like rice, processed foodstuff and pork for supply during Tet, a 63% increase over a normal month.
Nguyen Phuc Khoa, its deputy general director, said the company pays close attention to food safety and origin. Pork prices have stabilised due to the country’s efforts to increase the number pigs and import frozen pork, and Satra and its subsidiaries would supply a large number of new products such as seasoned meat and spring rolls during Tet, he said.
Retailers plan to increase the number of cash counters and take other steps to ensure convenience and safety for customers during the peak shopping season.
They will also offer home delivery and sell ancestral offering packs, which used to be traditionally prepared at home during Tet. They will also make sales trips to remote areas.
