On April 15, the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) informed that it had sent a document to the Department of Health of provinces and centrally-run cities regarding strengthening post-inspection work on food safety.

Specifically, the Ministry of Health requires relevant units to focus on high-risk groups and recently discovered violations, products that pose a risk to the health of sensitive groups in society such as the elderly, children, etc.

Functional units increase inspection of food production and trading establishments, check declaration records, advertising records... coordinate with local authorities to strictly handle violations according to the provisions of law.

The representative of the Food Safety Department said that food safety management is regulated in the Food Safety Law, in which food safety management of the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), Industry and Trade and People's Committees at all levels is regulated in Articles 62, 63, 64 and 65; The responsibility of "Presiding over the prevention of fake food and commercial fraud in food circulation and trading" is regulated in Clause 5, Article 64 of the Food Safety Law.

The announcement and registration of food product declarations are regulated in Decree 15/2018/ND-CP dated February 2, 2018 detailing a number of articles of the Food Safety Law. Accordingly, most foods are self-declared and there are 4 groups that need stricter control, so the product declaration must be registered with the competent State agency before being put into circulation on the market.

According to the provisions of Clause 8, Article 40 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP, the Provincial People's Committee is responsible for "Organizing the reception and management of dossiers, issuing Certificates of acceptance of product declarations, Certificates of confirmation of advertising content for medical nutritional products, foods for special diets, nutritional products for children up to 36 months of age."

In addition, Decree 15/2018/ND-CP also clearly stipulates the responsibilities of ministries, branches and localities in managing specific food groups and responsibilities in inspection, examination and handling of violations.

Recently, the Investigation Police Agency of the Ministry of Public Security is investigating the case of "Production and trading of counterfeit food products" occurring at Rance Pharma International Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, Hacofood Group Nutrition Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, and related agencies and organizations in Hanoi and provinces and cities nationwide.

The investigation agency determined that from 2021 to present, this group has produced up to 573 brands of powdered milk of various types, targeting consumers such as people with diabetes, kidney failure, premature babies, and pregnant women./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/bo-y-te-tap-trung-tang-cuong-cong-tac-hau-kiem-ve-an-toan-thuc-pham-post1029912.vnp