Vietnam’s regulations on food additives are in line with those issued by the United Nations’ Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which has 186 state members, said Tran Viet Nga, deputy director of the Department of Food Safety under the Ministry of Health.

Tran Viet Nga, deputy director of the Department of Food Safety under the Ministry of Health, confirms that Vietnam’s regulations on food additives match international ones 

Speaking to the local media today, April 8, following a recent recall of 18,000 Chinsu chili sauce bottles by Japanese authorities, Nga said that the additive found in Chinsu chili sauce bottles, benzoic acid, is allowed as a preservative in some kinds of food in Vietnam and many countries worldwide.

According to the Ministry of Health’s circulars 27 and 08, benzoic acid is permitted for use in chili sauce with a maximum content 0.1%, which matches CAC’s limit.

Japan has also allowed the use of benzoic acid in soy sauce, alcohol-free drinks and margarine.

Nga noted that CAC includes developed member countries such as the United States, Australia and Japan. Countries may have their own regulations on the use of food additives if they can prove that they are scientific.

In addition, food additives allowed by CAC must undergo many safety assessment steps, regularly eight steps. The process often takes five to seven, even ten years, to complete, Nga added.

She stated the department has yet to receive any official statement from Japanese authorities on the case.

The Ministry of Health will contact the International Network of Food Safety Authorities and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which manages the Chinsu chili sauce product, to confirm the news and come up with solutions.

Nga called on local consumers to keep calm and stay confident in the ministry’s regulations.

SGT