The role of Customs as a focal point in quality inspection and food safety inspection for imported goods

Professional activities at Hai Phong Customs

The focal point for connecting and sharing

The role of the customs authority as the focal role is prominently demonstrated through the development and operation of software on the National Single Window Portal to automatically receive documents for quality inspection and food safety inspection, decide on inspection methods based on collecting and processing data of quality inspection and food safety inspection, transfer dossiers to designated conformity inspection agencies and certification organisations; ensure information disclosure, transparency, connection and data sharing with ministries, sectors and agencies.

According to the Drafting Board, the use of information technology will fundamentally change the current way of performance of the specialised inspection authority, the interactions between State agencies and firms, between designated conformity assessment organisations and corporations.

This change will bring great benefits to businesses and society, in which it will clearly delineate, separate and enhance the role of State management, the role of socialisation of conformity assessment organisations in deciding whether goods conform with technical regulations and ensure safety or not. Customs procedures will be associated with specialised inspection procedures, assisting Customs authorities in simplifying and modernising administrative procedures.

In addition, the Law on Product and Goods Quality, the Law on Food Safety and other specialised laws all stipulate the agency is responsible for inspecting and managing each specialised inspection activity under the management field of each ministry or branch, but in fact there is no focal agency responsible for collecting, updating and sharing data so that ministries, sectors, organisations, individuals and firms can look up and use to analyse and evaluate for management and inspection. This also leads to inconsistency in dossiers, order, procedures and methods for quality and food safety inspection among agencies and organisations (some are done electronically, some manually; some places are apply the exemption and reduction regime, some places are not). Therefore, the role of the Customs authority as the focal point for imported goods will support ministries and sectors in the implementation of the laws on quality and food safety.

Also according to the Drafting Board, along with the Customs authority acting as a focal point, it will help to increase information transparency, reduce processing time for each stage and each clue. Especially, the sharing of information and data helps improve the efficiency of quality and food safety inspection of inspection agencies; strengthening the role of State management of line ministries and fields by managing all information and data on quality and food safety inspection collected from all 63 provinces and cities in all aspects, from detailed information about each product, goods, import data of organisations/individuals, results of certification, assessment, testing, results of state inspection and violation information, contributing to orientation, planning and formulation of management policies in a timely, accurate, appropriate and practical manner.

Besides that, thorough operation and application of IT also contribute to simplifying dossiers and procedures for quality and food safety inspection for imported goods and to perform item-by-item inspections to reduce the number of shipments subject to inspection.

On the side of firms, it will increase the initiative for importers because they are registered with an inspection agency to carry out procedures for quality inspection and food safety inspection (the inspection agency is designated by managed ministry, or customs authority); may choose a conformity assessment organisation to test samples (in the case of goods subject to strict inspection, they must be assessed and tested).

Thoroughly apply risk management, many cases exempt from inspection

An important reform point that is materialised in the draft decree is to expand the subject of exemption from quality inspection and food safety inspection. The draft decree stipulates 22 cases of exemption from quality inspection and food safety inspection. This content has fully inherited the cases of exemption from inspection specified in decrees stipulating the implementation of the Law on Product and Goods Quality; the Law on Food Safety, at the same time, supplementing the cases of exemption from inspection that have arisen in the operation of business activities of firms and customs management.

As a result, firms can reduce the number of imported shipments that have to be inspected because many import goods are exempt from quality inspection and food safety inspection, cutting costs and clearance time. State management agencies can reduce costs, working days and resources by not having to carry out State inspection of quality and food safety for imported goods which are in cases of unnecessary, focusing resources on high-risk items and importers likely to commit fraud.

Three methods of strict, normal and reduced inspection for both quality control and food safety inspection are applied synchronously. Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP specifies three methods of strict inspection, normal inspection, and reduced inspection based on the principles of risk management and legal compliance of firms. It is a major reform step in the field of food safety inspection and the first time in specialised inspection activities that apply the principles of risk assessment and legal compliance of firms.

Therefore, inheriting the above regulations and good practices and making them consistent in specialised inspection activities, the draft decree has expanded the application of strict inspection, normal inspection, and reduced inspection methods in quality inspection. The identification of inspection method is also publicised on the National Single Window Portal, and firms can search by themselves to carry out appropriate inspection as notified. This is also the step of institutionalising reform No.2 and No.4 in Decision No. 38/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister.