No food safety certification required?

FOOD businesses in Vietnam can produce and sell their products even without food safety certificates. The amended Decree 15/2018/ND-CP enforced in 2 February 2018 now permits organisations and individuals to declare the safety and hygiene of their products by themselves – whether on multimedia, their offices, or websites – and without applying for certifications, according to a report in Vietnam News.

However owners are still required by the Ministry of Health to register a declaration of conformity to food safety regulations for a limited number of products.

The old system required the application of food safety and hygiene certificates in order to vend food products. The procedure involved paperwork with detailed product information, a circulation certificate, a medical certificate, a trademark, a periodic supervising plan and a trading certificate, the article said. Interviews with business owners show they are relieved they no longer have to deal with heavy paperwork, legwork, and application fees, which could reach USD440, or USD1,300 in some cases based on a survey by the Central Institute for Economic Management.