Seafood enterprises expect scheme on reforming model of quality inspection and food safety inspection to be applied soon

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Seafood processing for export. Photo: T.H

Many new reforms

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the scheme on "Reforming the model of quality inspection and food safety inspection for imported goods" approved by the Prime Minister is adecision which is expected and appreciated by the business community and experts for the purpose of integration and cost reduction and improving national competitiveness.

Regarding the Draft Decree dated June 4, 2021 stipulating the management mechanism, method, order and procedures for state inspection of quality and food safety for imported goods, VASEP and seafood enterprises highly appreciated the Ministry of Finance and the Drafting Board of the Ministry of Finance for always being proactive and active in synthesizing, reviewing, listening to opinions and developing regulations in the draft so that the business community and agencies could carry out import procedures under the one-stop-shop mechanism on the National Single Window Portal.

Recording the importance of the scheme and the draft, in the past five months, VASEP and other industry associations have closely followed the drafts and progress, recognized and appreciated the Drafting Board of the Ministry of Finance for actively organizing many meetings to exchange and comment on the draft with industry associations and the business community; listen to suggestions from associations and enterprises.

Regarding the contents of state inspection of goods’ quality in the Draft, VASEP agrees with the new reforms introduced in the draft, which clarifies the roles and responsibilities of enterprises and relevant management agencies. New reforms have been developedunder the direction of Decision 38/2021/QD-TTg, including inspection by item, inspection by risk level, etc.

For the contents of state inspection on food safety, VASEP and food associations have carefully considered and found that the draft dated June 4, 2021 has included most of the positive and effective reforms in the field of food safety under Decree 15/2018/ND-CP.

VASEP acknowledges and highly appreciates the Drafting Board for assessment from many information sources and opinions on the risk management principles pioneered by Decree 15/2018ND-CP,especially the list of goods exempt from state inspection on imported food safety.

The draft also includes new reforms on allowing the registration of food containing new additives (which are not yet included in Decree 15/2018/ND-CP) into the draft to remove existing difficulties for enterprises.

Implement 1 door instead of 2 doors

VASEP and enterprises proposed the Government, the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice to includea regulation that food products subject to quarantine and foods subject to food safety inspectionand quarantine must go through procedures on the national single window system, instead of two doors of both submitting dossiers to the national single window system and submitting paper documents as at present, to remove a big hurdle for production and business for many years that the Decree 15/2018/ND-CP has not resolved.

The current regulations on management, methods and mechanisms for "quarantine" and "both quarantine and food safety" groups will be discussed and approved upon in another legal document or bythe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (NNPTTN) in its circulars.

VASEP said that food originates from animals and from plants. For animal sources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is providing (list, inspection methods, procedures) in four Circulars. However, all four of these Circulars are “Import Quarantine.”

Thus, most products and goods originating from animals(on land, under water) are subject to quarantine – according to the specific methods and procedures described in the circulars of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, while in accordance with international practices and scientific basis, most products used as food are only inspected for food safety for imported goods.

According to the preliminary assessment and comments of the association and experts, with the current regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, at least 70% of food will not be in the scope of the new draft decree.

The exclusion of products subject to quarantine and foods subject to quarantine and food safety inspection from this Draft Decree will lead to a bigproblem that is in the same group of food products, but there are two types of procedures, two different forms, two different doors, two different processes; as well as greatly reduce the efficiency of the reform, because most foods still have to follow the former process.

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When it is not possible to reform the quarantine regulations and procedures, the reform to bring the quarantine procedures onto the national single window system will help make procedures transparent and reduce time and cost for society and comply with the Government’s guidance in Resolution 17/NQ-CP in 2019 on building e-Government.