The Vietnam Food Administration has proposed revisions to the government’s Decree 15/2018/ND-CP on food safety regulations, aiming to simplify regulatory compliance, support businesses, and align Vietnam’s food safety standards with international practices, local media reported.
The draft amendments include the following key changes: (i) elimination of English document legalization, (ii) simplification of scientific documentation translation, (iii) acceptance of manufacturer’s test reports, (iv) clear submission deadlines and limits for additional documentation, (v) facilitation of charitable food imports, (vi) removal of certain advertising registration documents, (vii) abolition of GMP certificate requirement for domestic health supplement production, (viii) development of a centralized digital management system, (ix) automatic recognition of internationally approved food additives, and (x) reduction and simplification of administrative procedures for testing laboratories.
Since 2022, the Ministry of Health has approved registration declarations for 24,643 health supplements, with domestically produced products accounting for 84.7%. Authorities have handled 126 violations, imposing fines totaling more than VND16.8 billion ($700,000). Most violations involved counterfeit supplement production. (Suc Khoe Doi Song)