Nearly 80 per cent of the 1076 fresh fruit stores in the downtown districts of Ha Noi met food hygiene, safety and quality control standards, according to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.

The stores had all signed up to a programme to ensure they had adequate facilities for the preservation of fruit, and that all the products on their shelves had their origins specified and prices listed.

Stores that met these standards had been granted certificates.

Before the project was implemented, only 30 per cent of the fruit stores in Ha Noi were equipped with refridgeration units and shelves.

According to Tran Thi Phuong Lan, the project had helped consolidate consumer confidence while raising awareness about food hygiene and safety.

The city targeted that by the end of 2018, all fresh fruit stores in downtown districts would meet these standards.

Ha Noi was also focused on promoting the development of a fresh fruit value chain and encouraging the application of information and technology in verifying the origins of fruit. The city planned to use QR codes to trace the origins of agricultural products in 2018-20, starting with fresh fruit.

However, Lan said that more efforts were needed to better manage the fresh fruit market in the capital because the supply came from a number of sources.

Statistics showed that the city had a demand for 52,000 tonnes of fresh fruit per month, in which local plantation met 30 per cent, imports 15 per cent and other provinces and cities 55 per cent.

Fresh fruit were sold at a number of channels, including supermarkets, stores, wholesale markets, traditional markets and street vendors. — VNS