The Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) recently announced major policy groups for the revised Food Safety Law project, incorporating feedback from ministries, agencies, and localities. The draft law is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly by the end of this year.

The most significant change in the draft is the unification of state management for food safety. Currently, management responsibilities are divided among three ministries: health, agriculture and rural development, and industry and trade, based on specific food groups and stages of the production and business chain. This model, often described as "three ministries managing a meal", has revealed many shortcomings as supply chains grow more complex and numerous products fall into overlapping regulatory areas.

To address this overlap, the draft law proposes that the government designate the Ministry of Health as the sole focal point for state management functions concerning food safety. The ministry will be responsible for policy development, managing the entire supply chain, and conducting inspections, examinations, and handling violations across the country.

At the local level, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will continue to operate their Food Safety Departments under a specific mechanism. Thirty-two provinces and cities will establish food safety sub-departments directly under their respective health departments, taking over relevant functions, personnel, and facilities from the industry and trade sector and the agriculture and rural development sector.

At the commune level, food safety management functions will also be consolidated under a single focal point. Localities with numerous production and business establishments or high risks may establish food safety divisions. This approach is built upon retaining existing functions, personnel, and facilities, aligning with the policy of streamlining the administrative apparatus and increasing decentralization to local authorities.

Lunch prepared for students at a school in Da Nang. *Photo: Nguyen Dong*

Managing the entire supply chain

In conjunction with unifying the focal point, the draft law shifts from managing individual stages to overseeing the entire supply chain and implementing risk-based control.

According to the drafting agency, current regulations primarily focus on specific stages or product groups. However, food safety risks can emerge at any link in the chain, from raw material areas, cultivation, husbandry, pesticide use, harvesting, slaughter, processing, preservation, and transportation to distribution.

The draft stipulates that all stages, from initial production to consumption, will fall under a unified control system. Inspection and post-inspection activities will also transition to a risk assessment basis, rather than applying uniformly to all products and establishments. High-risk groups will receive priority monitoring, while low-risk groups will be managed with more appropriate methods to utilize resources efficiently.

According to the Ministry of Health, this approach helps businesses control hazards throughout the entire production process, while enabling regulatory agencies to shift from pre-market approval to post-market surveillance.

Establishing a national food safety data system

To support the new management model, the draft law proposes, for the first time, the establishment of an interconnected national food safety data information system.

Currently, a unified data system connecting ministries, agencies, and localities has not been implemented. Information regarding production establishments, product declarations, imports, exports, inspections, traceability, or violation handling remains fragmented, complicating data sharing and incident resolution.

The new system will manage the entire product lifecycle, from initial production, preliminary processing, manufacturing, and circulation to consumption. Data on production establishments, violations, and food safety incidents will also be integrated to facilitate early warnings, risk analysis, traceability, and incident resolution.

The draft also aims to digitize the entire food safety management process. Administrative procedures will gradually be implemented in a digital environment; the Ministry of Health will apply artificial intelligence, big data, and other digital technologies in testing, risk analysis, inspections, post-market surveillance, product recalls, managing codes, barcodes, electronic labels, and traceability.

Tightening management of street food and collective kitchens

The draft also adds a distinct set of policies for street food and collective kitchens, two types of establishments assessed by the Ministry of Health as posing a high risk to food safety.

Accordingly, organizations and individuals operating street food businesses and providing collective meals must retain information about ingredient origins via invoices, documents, logbooks, or other appropriate forms for traceability when needed. These establishments must also commit to ensuring food safety and inform competent authorities about their organizational, individual, and business location details.

According to the Ministry of Health, this regulation stems from the reality that many food poisoning incidents in recent times have encountered difficulties in tracing ingredient origins. For street food, most businesses are small-scale, frequently change locations, or are not fully regulated, which delays incident containment and resolution.

The draft assigns the government the responsibility to stipulate the duties of commune-level People's Committees in establishing a monitoring list for street food businesses and collective meal providers within their jurisdiction. Commune authorities will also be responsible for inspecting food safety conditions, implementing preventive measures, receiving public feedback, and coordinating responses when violations occur.

Son Ha