Food safety law issues addressed

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 3 signed Official Dispatch No.08/CD-TTg, asking authorities to resolve issues in the inspection of food and imported/exported goods, ensuring timely and smooth customs clearance, and preventing difficulties for businesses.

The Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), and other agencies have been urged to direct and issue guiding documents for the implementation of Decree 46 according to their assigned functions, tasks, authority, and areas of management, and direct units and localities to prepare adequate facilities, personnel, and equipment to ensure timely and smooth customs clearance, without causing congestion or backlog.

Photo: VNA

The MoH, in coordination with the MAE, the MoIT, the Ministry of Justice, and other agencies, shall urgently review the regulations in Decree 46; summarise implementation and obstacles; and report and propose specific recommendations to the government.

The ministries must immediately establish a 24/7 hotline and announce it in the media; assign personnel to promptly answer and clarify emerging issues, especially regarding new regulations in Decree 46 and be ready to handle any arising difficulties.

The Ministry of Finance directs the Customs Department to instruct customs offices to deploy personnel to work around the clock and to coordinate closely with other functional forces at border gates, and resolve congestion to ensure timely customs clearance of food and imported/exported goods, and to ensure smooth operation of electronic customs clearance system during this peak period.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must direct Vietnam Television, Vietnam Radio, and Vietnam News Agency to strengthen information about the purpose and significance of Decree 46 and new policies in food safety management, and to promptly report difficulties

The Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security are responsible for ensuring sovereignty, security, order, and preventing and combating potential negative incidents that may occur during the implementation of the regulations nationally.

The People's Committees of provinces and centrally administered cities must assign tasks to local authorities to conduct inspections of food safety and designate food testing facilities, ensuring sufficient testing facilities for state management as stipulated in Decree 46.

They are also required to decide on the application of necessary measures to support businesses in fulfilling state inspection procedures, and tests on food and imported/exported goods that are experiencing backlogs, ensuring the fastest possible customs clearance.

Directing functional forces at border gates to coordinate closely, work around the clock, manage traffic flow, and prioritise separate staging areas for fresh agricultural products and essential food items to alleviate congestion during state inspections at border gates, ensuring timely customs clearance for food and imported/exported goods.

If documentation is complete, customs clearance must be granted immediately. Sample testing will be conducted concurrently or post-clearance at company warehouses.

Relevant units shall compile and report daily to the prime minister on the implementation of Decree 46, and promptly come up with solutions for any difficulties.

There have been numerous food safety incidents with serious consequences in recent months. To ensure public health, ministries, agencies, and organisations drafted and submitted plans to the government for issuance of Decree 46 in late January 2026.

However, the guidance on implementing the decree was not specific enough. Therefore, difficulties arise in organising the enforcement of the new regulations on state inspection of certain imported agricultural produce and fresh food.

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