Food safety regulation sparks controversy

As the Law on Food Safety is set to take effect on July 1, a proposed decree which would guide enforcement has drawn public criticism.

Instead of centralising responsibility for food safety management in one agency, the proposal tends to make things more complicated, experts said at a recent meeting on the issue.

Too many cooks in the kitchen

Regulations included in the proposal point out the difficulty in dividing powers and responsibilities. A food product may already fall under the management of one agency or another.

The proposed decree distributes the responsibility of inspections and dealing with violations among a number of different agencies, such as people’s committees, ministries’ inspectorates and market management agencies. Some critics say that tasks should be more clearly defined and delegated.

Dr Phan Thi Kim, Chairman of Vietnam Association of Food Science and Technology (VAFST) suggests that the Ministries of Industry and Trade; and Agriculture and Rural Development should share responsibility for food safety during production, processing and distribution processes.

Others have publicly agreed, adding that the Ministry of Health should be responsible for food safety after distribution, they proposed.

Barriers to businesses

Nguyen Tu Cuong, Director of the Centre for Technology Transfer and Fisheries Services said the decree’s regulations are complicated and inefficient.

An official from the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) said importers and exporters are finding it difficult to get food quality certification, because it requires many additional and costly tests.

In addition, according to the official, almost all U.S. firms are unwilling to provide the information required, as they are worried about revealing trade secrets.

Many companies also complain that the length of validity for food safety certification is too short and procedures for re-application are too complicated. The proposed decree would only certify a business for two to five years.

Loose management over street food

Currently, there has not been strict or consistent regulation of street food; and small family businesses are not addressed in the proposed decree, said Vo Thanh Vi, of Ho Chi Minh City Association of Lawyers.

To ensure food safety, he suggested that communal and district people’s committees should be responsible for managing these institutions, and require them to meet standards on food safety.

Dr. Tran Dang, former Director of the Ministry of Health’s Food Safety and Hygiene Department said food safety rules may not work unless the responsibility for their management is clearly delegated.

To do this, the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development; Industry and Trade; and Health must sit together to reach final agreement.

In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam saw a fall of 50% in the number of food poisoning cases, the Ministry of Health said.

The country reported 16 cases that infected 442 people, claiming five lives during the quarter, according to the Ministry.

It added that the number of fatalities was down by 75% compared to a year earlier. – Dtinews

Tags: Food safety