On September 11, the Ministry of Health said it was soliciting comments on the draft Circular regulating the decentralization of handling administrative procedures in the field of food safety under the management of the Ministry. This is a step to reform procedures, shorten processing time, and at the same time increase the initiative of specialized units.
According to the draft being posted for comments on the Government Electronic Information Portal, this Circular will apply to Vietnamese agencies, organizations, individuals and foreign organizations and individuals with activities related to food safety in Vietnam. The goal is to facilitate businesses and people, while improving the effectiveness of state management of food safety.
A notable point in the draft is the proposal to decentralize the settlement of four administrative procedures under the management authority of the Ministry of Health to the Department of Food Safety. Specifically include:
Register for advertising content for health protection foods.
Register the declaration of imported products for health protection foods, mixed-use dietary supplements, or food additives that are not on the list of permitted use or not suitable for use according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health.
Register for domestic product declaration for similar product groups as above.
Issued and reissued a Certificate of Food Safety Eligibility for Good Production Practice (GMP) for health protection foods.
The Ministry of Health emphasized that this decentralization aims to reduce intermediaries, helping procedures related to health protection foods and food additives to be resolved more quickly and transparently. When the Food Safety Department directly receives and processes it, businesses can save time and costs, and the management agency is also convenient in monitoring and inspecting.
A representative of the Ministry of Health said that the draft Circular is being expanded to collect comments from organizations and individuals for completion. After receiving and revising, the Ministry will issue a Circular as a basis for implementation, contributing to reforming administrative procedures in the field of food safety, ensuring the rights and health of consumers.
