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Hai Phong, HCMC struggle with imported frozen food
Workers install a generator at Hai Phong City’s Nam Hai Port to provide continuous power supply to air-conditioners for storing frozen meat shipments.
Thousands of frozen food containers imported for re-export are stuck at several ports in the northern city of Hai Phong, with unconfirmed reports saying importers are balking at accepting shipments on swine flu fears.
The containers, stocking frozen chicken legs, pig stomach and beef are lying at the Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong City. Air conditioners have to be run round the clock to prevent the food from getting spoiled.
“We can’t receive any more cargo as we are already stocked with five times our storage capacity. The cost of power for storing the frozen food containers has gone sky-high,” said Nguyen Ngoc Hong, director of the port.
Hong added he was very worried that owners of those containers may abandon the goods if the cost exceeds the shipment’s value.
Chua Ve Port, one of the city’s largest ports, shares Dinh Vu’s plight, with nearly 1,000 frozen food containers stuck at the port.
“Customers keep asking to delay exporting while others seek permission to import,” said Vu Nam Thang, director of the port’s cargo handling agency.
Frozen food imported for the domestic market is also stuck at the city’s ports.
“We have just received two frozen food containers imported for domestic markets, which had struggled to find a port to unload,” said Vu Tuan Duong, director of the Doan Xa Port. “But both have to be moved out of the port within two days as we are already overloaded.”
Duong showed Thanh Nien many text messages local food importers sent to his cell phone, asking to postpone their shipments’ delivery date.
The operator of Nam Hai Port has had to hire six more power generators as the three that it has couldn’t meet the demand for power triggered by an influx of frozen food containers.
In all, an estimated 3,000 frozen food containers are stuck at Hai Phong ports.
Meanwhile in HCMC, several tons of imported meat that do not meet hygiene requirements are still on store shelves, according to the city’s veterinary department.
In the first two months of the year, the department found more than 10 tons of imported food not meeting food safety requirements, it reported to the city’s People’s Council last month.
It also said around 800 tons of imported frozen meat are consumed in the city every day.
Nguyen Van Minh, a council member, said food importers are allowed to deliver their items to domestic markets only after they are granted certificates attesting to their quality.
But concerns that the food can get spoiled during the long waiting period for certification have seen many importers ignoring the regulations.
A department official wishing to remain anonymous also warned that imported foods on the verge of their expiry date were being brought into the country.
“Some local importers may be lured by such foods that are on sale at very low prices,” he said, disclosing the department had recently found an imported shipment of food without any expiry date.
The Veterinary Department of the southern province of Dong Nai last year raided a local frozen food supplier and discovered 1.5 tons of pork and chicken legs and wings imported from the US and Brazil without due certification.
VietNamNet, tn
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