The Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued a document responding to the opinions of voters in Hung Yen province after the 9th Session of the 15th National Assembly.
Voters reported that the production, purchase, sale, and advertising of products that do not ensure quality and of unknown origin are harmful to human health has been going on for many years and is increasingly sophisticated.
In particular, these items are no longer clumsy and plain items with rough shapes and poor packaging as before, but are now so sophisticatedly transformed that they can deceive even the stones.
From labels, packaging, colors, QR codes to certificates, all are forged to the point of being difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. The above items have brought illegal profits to individuals and production facilities.
Therefore, voters in Hung Yen province proposed that the Government increase the fine and add a form of penalty for permanently closing facilities for violators; increase the level of criminal prosecution for the act of intentionally manufacturing and trading fake and poor quality goods causing serious consequences.
For individuals who advertise products that do not match ingredients and uses that affect health and especially the trust and legitimate rights of consumers, it is recommended to increase the fine and add criminal sanctions to ensure deterrence.
Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that in recent times, the Ministry has issued many documents directing the work of preventing, combating, and handling acts of production and trading of counterfeit goods, banned goods, and goods of unknown origin;...
The Market Management Force (QLTT) coordinates with functional forces, especially the police force to carry out local management work, detect and inspect, handle many large-scale violations, and transfer to the police to handle many violations.
Food safety inspection (FS) is carried out regularly and promptly. Through inspection and examination activities, many violations of food safety have been detected and handled, with the effect of deterring and limiting food safety violations.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, the Market Management Force detected and handled 11,610 violations, fined over 76.4 billion VND, and seized goods worth over 102.3 billion VND for counterfeit food.
345 violations were detected and handled, with fines of over VND29 billion and the value of violating exhibits over VND14 billion for pharmaceuticals and functional foods.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that according to the provisions of Decree No. 98/2020/ND-CP, in administrative sanctions, a fine of twice the fine for the production and trading of counterfeit goods in the form of food and medicine will be applied compared to the case of common goods.
Currently, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is continuing to draft a Decree to replace Decree No. 98/2020/ND-CP in the direction of increasing penalties for the production and trading of counterfeit goods in general, including fake food and fake medicine.
Law No. 86/2025/QH15 amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Penal Code has adjusted a number of articles and clauses. Accordingly, the current criminal sanctions for counterfeit food are relatively deterrent enough because the act of producing and trading counterfeit food is prosecuted without limitation on the value of the violating goods, which constitutes a sign of crime (a counterfeit product can also constitute a sign of crime).
Administrative sanctions will only be applied in cases where the violation does not constitute a crime.
The proposal to increase sanctions for individuals advertising products with incorrect ingredients and uses affecting the health of consumers is under the functions and tasks of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
