The Hanoi's Market Surveillance Agency has planned to conduct inspection against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods throughout the city in the last months of 2022 and in the days leading up to the Tet holiday.

Functional forces are checking products. Photo: Hoai Nam/ The Hanoi Times

The move is aimed to manage food quality and safety ahead of the Lunar New Year, the national biggest holiday, the time when smuggled, counterfeit and low-quality goods are about to increase. The latest plan, issued by Director of the municipal Market Surveillance Agency Chu Xuan Kien, aims to help stabilize the market and strengthen state management.

The inspection is expected to focus on controlling and thoroughly handling those who transport, trade, store prohibited or smuggled goods and commercial fraud.

In particular, market surveillance forces will search warehouses and goods transshipment sites in Thanh Tri, Hoang Mai, Hai Ba Trung, Gia Lam and Long Bien districts.

This inspection is expected to be highly effective in combating smuggling and commercial fraud, as well as in dealing with food safety violations, which are of concern to consumers.

Tran Viet Hung, Deputy Director of the Hanoi's Market Surveillance Agency, said: "We will resolutely deal with violations related to food safety and coordinate with other relevant forces to control the quality of products from inputs, production and up to market circulation."

A market surveillance statistic shows that as of September 5, more than 600 cross-inspection teams visited 3,848 food service and other relevant establishments, found violations at 80 establishments, and imposed fines worth more than VND458 million (US$19,273). The number of violations in the first six months of 2022 was 2,966 detected at 16,294 establishments inspected.