87% suspect safety of fruits sold at Ho Chi Minh City markets: survey

September 22, 2015 | 17:00

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As many as 87 percent of the Vietnamese people recently surveyed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper do not feel assured and are afraid of food poisoning when consuming fruits sold at markets in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ten percent of the respondents feel safe and three percent said the safety depends on where to buy the fruits.

The Tuoi Tre survey featured the participation of 30 residents, aged 20 to 55, living in nine districts of the city.

The findings showed that the majority of the participants fear that fruits sold at markets have been soaked in chemicals to look fresh and prolong their life cycle.

However, they said they will not give up eating fruits but find ways to avoid the poisoned ones instead.

Thirteen percent of those polled said they once suffered food poisoning after eating fruits soaked in chemicals.

About 6.6 percent confirmed they bought poisoned fruits.

And 83 percent said they have heard of others getting food poisoning after consuming such dirty fruits.

While 20 percent admitted that they will either stop eating fruits or consume them less frequently, 70 percent said they resort to traditional ways to carefully wash and soak fruits in salty water before eating them.

Around 57 percent said they trust certain sellers and only buy fruits from just one shop or supermarket.

Nearly 37 percent said they do not buy out-of-season fruits for fear of them preserved with chemicals.

Most of them want authorities to tighten checks over fruits and other products to ensure food safety and to heavily fine those who create and sell dirty products.

Doctor Dao Thi Yen Thuy, from the Ho Chi Minh City Nutrition Center, encourages everyone to consume 200 grams of at least two different kinds of fruit a day for a healthy lifestyle.

She advises people to clean fruits with fresh water and soak them in salty water for 15-20 minutes before eating.

Tuoi Tre news

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