On 9 January, EuroCham Vietnam attended a Policy Consultation Conference on the Amended Law on Food Safety organised by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Chaired by Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen, the conference welcomed representatives from ministries, sectors, and central and local authorities, including:
- Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs – Ms. Tran Thi Hoa Ry Trần Thị Hoa Ry
- Former Deputy Minister of Health – Mr. Le Van Truyen
- Acting Director General of the Vietnam Food Safety Authority (VFA) – Mr. Chu Duc Thinh
- National Assembly’s Committees on Law and Justice, Science, Technology and Environment, Culture and Social Affairs, among others
- Representatives of ministries and ministerial-level agencies
- Representatives of Provincial and Municipal Departments of Health
During the conference, representatives from ministries, central and local agencies, businesses, and experts provided inputs on the policy framework and the draft revised Law on Food Safety. Discussions focused on ensuring policies meet the state requirements and align with practical conditions in Vietnam and international practices.
EuroCham Vietnam’s Inputs
Representing EuroCham’s Nutritional Foods Group (NFG), Head of Technical Working Group Mr. Nguyen Hong Uy presented recommendations for the revised Law on Food Safety across five key policy areas:
- Strengthening management of food production and business establishments dealing with high-risk food products;
- Clarifying decentralisation of food safety management at the central level and assigning responsibilities to provincial People’s Committees in implementing food safety management at the local level;
- Risk-based control of pre-packaged processed food products before circulation in the market;
- Risk-based control of food consignments imported through Vietnam’s border gates, considering product risk levels and enterprises’ compliance history;
- Strengthening control over substances used in food production and processing that may be misused or abused and pose potential health risks.
Next-steps
Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen shared his appreciation for the dedication and sense of responsibility demonstrated by participants. The Ministry of Health will consolidate inputs, review, refine the policy contents, and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to finalise the draft Amended Law on Food Safety for submission to the Government. The aim is to present the draft amended law to the National Assembly at its First Session of the 16th Legislature.
