Ensuring safe food supplies for Lunar New Year market

Food safety and quality management, especially in preparation for the Lunar New Year 2026 (Year of the Fire Horse), is a key focus of Dong Nai Province. Recently, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment launched a survey program for livestock farming and food processing facilities across the province, aiming to control food safety and quality at the source, specifically during the production and processing stages.

The slaughterhouse of Branch No. 1 under BMFOOD Joint Stock Company, located in Binh Minh commune. Photo: B. Nguyen

In recent years, Dong Nai province has focused on implementing a range of mechanisms and policies to support and encourage production and consumption through integrated value chains, spanning production, preliminary processing, processing, and distribution. The objective is to ensure traceability of product origins and to maintain a safe food supply chain for the consumer market, particularly during holidays and the Lunar New Year.

Investing in high technology for safe production

With a total livestock population of nearly 4.2 million pigs and almost 36 million poultry, Dong Nai continues to maintain its position as the country’s leading hub for animal husbandry. Notably, livestock production in the province has shifted toward an industrial scale, with the application of modern technologies to enable large-scale, safe production. To date, 205 farms and three livestock cooperative groups have been certified under VietGAHP and GlobalGAP standards. Approximately 35 percent of livestock farms have adopted climate-controlled housing technology.

The egg-laying chicken farm operated by Trinh Dang Khoi Co., Ltd. in Tân An commune currently supplies around 600,000 eggs per day to the market. The company has been a pioneer in applying advanced technologies in animal husbandry and preservation, including investments in modern farming systems, the construction of an automated egg packaging plant, and the treatment of manure and waste for conversion into organic fertilizer. Its products are distributed nationwide.

Nguyen Duc Tin, Manager of Trinh Dang Khoi Co., Ltd., stated that the farm’s facilities have been developed under a closed-loop, climate-controlled livestock housing model, equipped with an automated cooling system operated by sensors, automatic feeding and watering systems, and software that calculates feed rations appropriate to each stage of the animals’ development. The farm strictly adheres to biosecurity protocols to effectively control disease outbreaks. Eggs are collected automatically via conveyor belts and transferred to a centralized processing area, where screening and grading are carried out entirely by automated machinery. This model helps reduce labor costs, enhance production efficiency, and ensure biosecurity.

The slaughterhouse operated by Branch No. 1 of BMFOOD Joint Stock Company, located in Binh Minh commune, has also established a closed and integrated value chain, from breeding stock production and livestock farming to slaughtering. On average, the company supplies between 1.2 and 1.5 million chickens of various types, including industrial broilers and colored-feather chickens, to the market each month. Its slaughtering facility specializes in supplying fresh chicken products to supermarket chains, convenience stores, schools, hospitals, and industrial kitchens. Throughout the entire process, from farming and slaughtering to distribution, the company strictly complies with food safety standards.

Ensuring a safe food supply

According to several enterprises investing in the livestock sector in the province, the recent flooding in the Northern and Central regions has had a significant impact on animal husbandry, meaning recovery will require more time. However, given the currently abundant supply of livestock products from the southern region, the national market is still forecast to remain basically well supplied. In particular, large-scale livestock enterprises are stepping up output, especially during the peak Lunar New Year period, in an effort to help stabilize the market.

To control and ensure food safety for the Lunar New Year 2026 (Year of the Fire Horse) market, the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Environment has coordinated with inter-sectoral inspection forces to intensify inspection and supervision activities. These efforts focus on strengthening state management to strictly control food products of animal and plant origin. In parallel, Dong Nai province is also stepping up initiatives to connect product consumption with major markets such as Ho Chi Minh City and provinces in the Mekong Delta.

Duong Anh Tuan, a representative of BMFOOD Joint Stock Company, said that under the company’s plan, supplies of fresh chicken meat will be increased in the period before, during, and after the Lunar New Year 2026 (Year of the Fire Horse). Specifically, from 15 days before the Lunar New Year through the post-holiday period, the company expects its supply of fresh chicken products to rise by approximately 20–30 percent compared to normal levels. Based on the preparedness of many enterprises in the livestock and food supply sectors, significant price fluctuations in livestock products toward the end of the year, particularly during the peak of the 2026 Lunar New Year, are considered unlikely. In the coming period, the company plans to invest in larger-scale, more modern slaughtering facilities, while also expanding its livestock operations to help stabilize domestic supply and move toward export markets.

Le Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that Dong Nai has established numerous large-scale, commodity-oriented concentrated crop and livestock zones. The province’s broader goal is to develop these zones toward safe and organic production models.

At the same time, the agricultural sector is focusing on linking production areas with purchasing, processing, and distribution units to bring products to both domestic and out-of-province markets through integrated value chains. These linkages not only help control quality from the input stage and ensure traceability, but also build trust, giving producers greater confidence to expand their investments.At the same time, the agricultural sector is focusing on linking production areas with purchasing, processing, and distribution units to bring products to both domestic and out-of-province markets through integrated value chains. These linkages not only help control quality from the input stage and ensure traceability, but also build trust, giving producers greater confidence to expand their investments.

By Binh Nguyen – Translated by Hong Van, Minho