Vietnam's government has proposed putting the Ministry of Health in charge of coordinating food safety regulation nationwide, replacing a fragmented system in which three ministries share oversight of the food supply chain.
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan presented the draft revised Law on Food Safety to the National Assembly on Saturday morning, outlining changes intended to streamline regulatory responsibilities and strengthen oversight from production to consumption.
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan presents the draft revised Law on Food Safety to the National Assembly.
The most significant proposed change is the establishment of a single coordinating authority for state management of food safety.
Under the current system, responsibilities are divided among the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, depending on the type of food and the stage of production or distribution.
The arrangement has often been described in Vietnam as a situation in which three ministries oversee the same meal, reflecting the complexity and potential overlap of regulatory responsibilities.
Under the proposed legislation, the Ministry of Health would serve as the lead agency assisting the government in coordinating food safety management nationwide.
Other ministries, including Agriculture and Environment, Industry and Trade, Finance, Public Security, Science and Technology, and Culture, Sports and Tourism, would continue to carry out specialized regulatory duties within their respective areas of responsibility.
At the local level, People's Committees would be responsible for food safety management within their jurisdictions, with a single coordinating body designated at each administrative level.
Local authorities would also oversee street food businesses operating in their areas.
The draft law proposes classifying food products according to their risk levels and applying different regulatory approaches accordingly.
Most food products would continue to be subject to self-declaration procedures, followed by regulatory monitoring and post-market inspections.
However, certain specialized food categories, particularly those affecting public health or intended for vulnerable groups such as children, older adults, pregnant women and patients, would remain subject to mandatory product declaration registration.
Fresh produce, including vegetables and fruit, could be exempted from product declaration requirements because of its short shelf life and the difficulty of applying standardized procedures to these products.
The proposed legislation also introduces controls on residues of veterinary medicines, pesticides and contaminants in food following harvesting, fishing, other forms of collection and slaughter.
It sets requirements for certain food production facilities, introduces management measures tailored to different food categories and strengthens monitoring and post-market inspections throughout distribution.
A key element of the proposal is the shift toward controlling food safety risks at the beginning of the supply chain rather than waiting until products reach the market.
Requirements covering raw materials, post-harvest products, food obtained through fishing and slaughter, and production and trading conditions are intended to strengthen accountability among businesses and other participants throughout the supply chain.
Tighter food safety rules for e-commerce platforms
Another significant part of the draft addresses food safety management on e-commerce websites and digital platforms.
Under the proposal, businesses selling food online would be required to publish relevant product information and provide supporting documents, including product declaration registration certificates or product standards declaration dossiers.
Where applicable, they would also need to provide confirmation that advertising content had been approved by the competent authorities.
In addition to their existing obligations under e-commerce legislation, operators of intermediary e-commerce platforms and social media services facilitating online commerce would be required to establish content review mechanisms.
They would also have to request legally required documentation from sellers before allowing individual food products to be listed on their platforms.
The draft further introduces requirements for food processing businesses and food service providers, including operators supplying meals to schools, workplaces and other groups.
These establishments would be required to maintain relevant records, submit commitments and notify local authorities as prescribed.
Lawmakers warn that overlapping responsibilities could remain
Presenting the appraisal report, Nguyen Thanh Hai, Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, acknowledged that the draft law designates the Ministry of Health as the central coordinating authority.
Nguyen Thanh Hai, Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, presents the committee's appraisal report on the proposed legislation.
However, the committee pointed out that several ministries would still retain specialized food safety management responsibilities.
It called for further review to ensure that the single-agency coordination model is accompanied by clear and comprehensive accountability.
The committee emphasized that decentralization must be matched by appropriate authority, resources and accountability mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of overlapping responsibilities in food safety regulation.
Regarding penalties for violations, the committee proposed studying additional sanctions to strengthen deterrence.
These could include the temporary suspension or revocation of operating licenses for organizations and individuals found to have committed violations.
In particularly serious cases involving deliberate violations that cause severe consequences for public health, permanent license revocation could also be considered.
The committee additionally recommended examining mechanisms that would require the public disclosure of organizations and individuals responsible for food safety violations.
Such information could be published through regulatory agencies' databases and the digital platforms of commune- and ward-level authorities.
The aim would be to make information about violations more accessible to the public and strengthen community oversight of food safety compliance.
Vietnamnet.vn
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