Decree No 15, effective since February 2, 2018, dictates several changes, the most notable of which is giving firms the right to self-declare food-product origins and quality, replacing the long-standing method of keeping records at public management agencies (Source: news.chinhphu.vn) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - In a policy turnaround, theGovernment has said it is determined to assist food and beverage importers andproducers by reducing inspection times, costs and criteria, opting forbusinesses to make self declarations instead of being constantly watchdogged byofficials.
Decree No 15, effective since February 2, 2018,dictates several changes, the most notable of which is giving firms the rightto self-declare food-product origins and quality, replacing the long-standingmethod of keeping records at public management agencies.
As such, only a handful of food products willnow require special inspection by the Ministry of Health before entering thegeneral market.
Nguyen Thanh Long, Deputy Minister of Health,said on the Vietnam Customs’ online portal, that once the new regulations werein place, about 95 percent of food imports would not be subject to specialisedinspection.
However, regular inspections would still applyto all imports, unless otherwise specified.
Long added that regular inspection time wouldalso be shortened from seven to three working days, while specialisedinspection time would be shortened from 10 to seven working days.
He said the new decree aimed to dramaticallyreduce registration procedures and transfer time between pre-check andpost-inspection to create favourable conditions for producing and importingfood businesses.
By his estimate, Vietnamese firms throughout thecountry would save about seven million eight-hour working days and about 3trillion VND (133.6 million USD) per year thanks to these changes.
Long said that State management agencies wouldstrengthen post-inspection sanctions for importing firms if any malpracticeswere detected.
Nguyen Thanh Phong, director general of theMinistry of Health’s Food Safety Department, said the decree adhered to globalfood management practices on production and business conditions.
He named small and medium-sized farms,processing facilities, restaurants, and food stores as examples of businesseswith the right to self-declare and take full responsibility for their own foodproduct quality.
However, health food used for medical purposesor special diets and compound-food additives with new uses must be registeredat the ministry, while nutritional products for children up to 36 months of agemust be registered at local health departments.
Additionally, the decree removes Stateinspection for products that have been granted certificates of quality by thesignatory country, brought for personal use or as gifts by individuals entitledto diplomatic privileges and immunities.
Food products temporarily imported for sale atduty-free shops, or those imported only for initial processing without beinglater sold on the domestic market have also been exempted.
By expanding the bracket of firms exempt fromcompulsory certificates of eligibility, as well as reducing the number of fooditems needing declaration, he hoped to also minimise administrative procedures infood safety management.
"All these new regulations means localauthorities will be in charge more than central ministries, based on reportsfrom businesses, to effectively implement food hygiene and safe practice,"said Phong.
Decree 15 assigns responsibilities for Statemanagement of food safety to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industryand Trade, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Late last year, in a working session between thePrime Minister and the health ministry, Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, chairwoman of theAssociation of Food Transparency’s Advocacy Committee, said she had receivedcomplaints from enterprises about long waiting times for online food-safetyinspections.
Minh claimed that if the company sent theirdossier to the ministry online, the waiting time was often about 40 to 45 days,sometimes with no reply at all.
She proposed that a deadline be set for gettingback to waiting firms in the online queues, after which their case wouldautomatically be viewed as valid and permitted to enter the market.-VNA
Decree No 15, effective since February 2, 2018,dictates several changes, the most notable of which is giving firms the rightto self-declare food-product origins and quality, replacing the long-standingmethod of keeping records at public management agencies.
As such, only a handful of food products willnow require special inspection by the Ministry of Health before entering thegeneral market.
Nguyen Thanh Long, Deputy Minister of Health,said on the Vietnam Customs’ online portal, that once the new regulations werein place, about 95 percent of food imports would not be subject to specialisedinspection.
However, regular inspections would still applyto all imports, unless otherwise specified.
Long added that regular inspection time wouldalso be shortened from seven to three working days, while specialisedinspection time would be shortened from 10 to seven working days.
He said the new decree aimed to dramaticallyreduce registration procedures and transfer time between pre-check andpost-inspection to create favourable conditions for producing and importingfood businesses.
By his estimate, Vietnamese firms throughout thecountry would save about seven million eight-hour working days and about 3trillion VND (133.6 million USD) per year thanks to these changes.
Long said that State management agencies wouldstrengthen post-inspection sanctions for importing firms if any malpracticeswere detected.
Nguyen Thanh Phong, director general of theMinistry of Health’s Food Safety Department, said the decree adhered to globalfood management practices on production and business conditions.
He named small and medium-sized farms,processing facilities, restaurants, and food stores as examples of businesseswith the right to self-declare and take full responsibility for their own foodproduct quality.
However, health food used for medical purposesor special diets and compound-food additives with new uses must be registeredat the ministry, while nutritional products for children up to 36 months of agemust be registered at local health departments.
Additionally, the decree removes Stateinspection for products that have been granted certificates of quality by thesignatory country, brought for personal use or as gifts by individuals entitledto diplomatic privileges and immunities.
Food products temporarily imported for sale atduty-free shops, or those imported only for initial processing without beinglater sold on the domestic market have also been exempted.
By expanding the bracket of firms exempt fromcompulsory certificates of eligibility, as well as reducing the number of fooditems needing declaration, he hoped to also minimise administrative procedures infood safety management.
"All these new regulations means localauthorities will be in charge more than central ministries, based on reportsfrom businesses, to effectively implement food hygiene and safe practice,"said Phong.
Decree 15 assigns responsibilities for Statemanagement of food safety to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industryand Trade, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Late last year, in a working session between thePrime Minister and the health ministry, Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, chairwoman of theAssociation of Food Transparency’s Advocacy Committee, said she had receivedcomplaints from enterprises about long waiting times for online food-safetyinspections.
Minh claimed that if the company sent theirdossier to the ministry online, the waiting time was often about 40 to 45 days,sometimes with no reply at all.
She proposed that a deadline be set for gettingback to waiting firms in the online queues, after which their case wouldautomatically be viewed as valid and permitted to enter the market.-VNA
VNA
