The necessity of amending the Food Safety Law

On January 21, 2025, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha presided over a meeting regarding the proposal to build the project of the Law on Food Safety (amended) and the Decree amending and supplementing several articles of Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP. The meeting was attended by leaders of the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, Justice, the Government Office, and representatives of relevant ministries and branches.

The 2010 Food Safety Law, after more than 12 years of implementation, has created an important legal framework for state management. However, practice has revealed many limitations and inadequacies requiring timely adjustments. The current prominent issue is the overlapping management among three ministries (Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade), causing administrative difficulties for subjects under management. Additionally, testing capacity and the information data system on food safety have not been optimized and have not kept pace with the rapid changes of new business models, such as e-commerce or functional foods.

Orientation for unifying the focal point of state management

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized the urgent requirement for unifying the management apparatus. The goal is to thoroughly resolve the situation where “one product, one facility is subject to the management of multiple agencies,” while clearly defining responsibilities between central and local levels.

According to the new orientation, the food safety management model needs to be built towards unifying a single focal point at the local level to make maximum use of existing human resources and facilities. The assignment of state management responsibilities will be based on the principle of covering the entire food production and business process, ensuring greater strictness and effectiveness.

Innovating inspection methods and simplifying procedures

One of the key points of the draft amended Law is a fundamental change in management thinking: a strong shift from pre-inspection to post-inspection. Management agencies will strengthen the application of risk management, promote origin traceability, and apply information technology and digital transformation in food safety supervision.

Regarding the amendment of Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Health to gather more information and opinions from other ministries, sectors, and the business community. The amendment needs to focus on:

• Unifying the order and procedures for product declaration registration.
• Clearly stipulating the state management agency receiving dossiers.
• Reforming administrative procedures to create favorable conditions for businesses while still ensuring the ultimate goal of protecting public health.

In addition, new regulations will also focus on strictly managing newly arising issues such as health protective foods, functional food advertising activities, and multi-level and online food trading. The final goal is to build a transparent, scientific legal environment that both promotes economic development and ensures safety for community health.

MSc. Nguyen Nam Anh – Center for Support & Continuous Training