|
Food imports must pass US standards
Viet Nam is to apply rules for imported animal food products as strict as those of the European Union and the United States.
The regulations - embodied in an Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry decree to apply from July 1- would be based on the International Codex Comm-ittee's procedures, said its Quality Control of Agricultural, Forest and Aquatic Produce Department Deputy Director Phung Huu Hao.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation introduced the system in 1963 to help develop food standards.
The decree will require countries wanting to export animal food products to register enterprises that meet Viet Nam's food hygiene and safety's standards with Vietnamese Government agencies.
The certificates will have to accompany the goods and only registered enterprises will be allowed to export to the Viet Nam market.
Viet Nam's inspectors will also check the conditions as well as the food hygiene and safety systems at the exporting enterprises.
Regular checks
All animal products that enter via border gates will be checked regularly during distribution to the markets in addition to the usual on-arrival inspections.
The owners of any goods that do not comply with the new regulation's will either have to return them to their country of origin or have them destroyed.
Offending enterprises could have their export licences suspended.
The ministry's farm produce quality control department will have responsibility for implementation of the decree.
The new regulations meant that all products would be carefully controlled during both their production and arrival in Viet Nam and consumers could be expected to favour the proven better-quality goods, said the deputy director.
Questions
The impending introduction of the new regulations has raised questions about Viet Nam's shortage of the modern laboratories and equipment needed for the inspection process.
The possibility of lower-priced imported products because of superior production infrastructure has also been raised.
In response, the Deputy Director said domestic enterprises should increase their competitive capacity with high-quality products.
Enterprises should follow international regulations in the production process to win consumers, he said.
vietnamnews
|
