Colorful Foods May Contain Harmful Additives and Dyes.
According to the Food Safety Department of the Ministry of Health, the market for Lunar New Year foods is always an opportunity for counterfeit, fake, and low-quality products to infiltrate and deceive consumers, especially due to the sudden spike in the demand for essential foods like meat, sausages, candies, cakes, alcohol, and beverages.
Consumers need to be careful when selecting and using food to protect their health.
It is essential for consumers to exercise caution when selecting and using food to protect their health and that of their families. Choose food with clear origins, production dates, expiration dates, and labels that provide complete information. Avoid items that are spoiled or have unpleasant odors.
Be cautious with brightly colored foods as they may contain harmful dyes and additives. Actively cooperate with authorities when suspicious food items are discovered, including counterfeit and fake products, as well as food production, processing, and trading establishments that do not ensure food safety, to facilitate inspections and timely interventions.
When purchasing candies during the Lunar New Year, you should:
- Choose products that have been quality-approved and comply with food safety regulations, with labels indicating serial numbers, abbreviated names of provinces, cities, and processing companies.
- Select candies from reputable brands with clear origins to avoid counterfeit designs and labels.
- Carefully examine the information on the candy packaging, such as production location, production date, expiration date, ingredients, and storage instructions.
- If buying a gift basket for the New Year, avoid pre-packaged gift baskets. When purchasing a gift basket, pay attention to the quality of the candies inside, and prefer to select the candies yourself and then arrange them into a gift basket.
- When choosing candies and preserves for the New Year, especially preserves, you should directly check the product quality by observing the colors or smelling, touching, and tasting them. Consumers should also exercise extreme caution with brightly colored foods as these products may contain harmful dyes and additives. Importantly, citizens need to proactively cooperate with relevant authorities upon discovering suspicious food items, including counterfeit and fake products, as well as food establishments that do not ensure food safety, to facilitate inspections and timely interventions by authorities (such as market management agencies, Department of Industry and Trade, local government, etc.).
- Read reviews from previous buyers: This is a highly effective way to evaluate a product or brand. If you have never tasted a particular candy nor purchased it from any store, you can check reviews and comments from previous buyers on social media, YouTube, or ask friends for informed decisions!
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Lunar New Year Candies
Be cautious when buying discounted or promotional items: Not all discounted or clearance items are of low quality; however, this could be a tactic by sellers to mix defective or outdated products with others and label them as discounted or on promotion to attract attention and clear out stock.
Buying candies close to the New Year: Many housewives have a habit of shopping right before the New Year, partly due to busy schedules, and partly because many believe that candies bought close to the New Year taste better. This can be risky as buying candies late can lead to unforeseen consequences, such as higher risks of encountering defective or low-quality products, prices rising closer to the New Year, and popular items running out quickly.
It is best to plan what you need and purchase these items as early as possible before the New Year to have more time and make wiser choices.
Consumers should buy candies, nuts, and food items for the Lunar New Year 2024 at reputable stores and supermarkets to ensure product quality and pricing.
