Ministry of Health clarifies inspection regulations for imported food

Faced with many difficulties from businesses and individuals related to regulations on food safety inspection of imported goods, on May 15, the Department of Food Safety ( Ministry of Health ) officially spoke up, providing specific instructions to remove difficulties and ensure proper implementation of current legal regulations.

Illustration photo.

Recently, the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health has received many official dispatches from organizations and individuals producing and trading food requesting clarification of regulations on state inspection of food safety according to Circular No. 15/2024/TT-BYT issued on September 19, 2024.

This Circular stipulates the list of foods, food additives, containers and packaging materials in direct contact with food that have been identified with commodity codes according to the List of Vietnamese import and export goods subject to food safety inspection upon import.

In response to these questions, the Food Safety Department has officially responded, clarifying each specific case to support businesses in properly implementing the process:

Firstly, for food additives listed in the list issued with Circular 15/2024/TT-BYT, these products are required to undergo state inspection on food safety upon import.

Second, if the product is on the list but is used as a food ingredient, not intended as an additive or processing aid, it is not subject to state inspection as prescribed in Point b, Clause 4, Article 3 of Circular 15.

Third, products used only for the production, processing of export goods or internal use within the enterprise, not for consumption in the domestic market, will be exempted from self-declaration procedures and from state inspection of imported food safety. However, it should be noted that exceptions apply to cases with warnings related to food safety according to Clause 2, Article 4 and Clause 7, Article 13 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP.

Fourth, for health food products, enterprises need to register the product declaration according to the provisions of Articles 6 and 7 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP. After being granted the Certificate of Registration of Declaration, the product will be exempted from state inspection upon import, except in cases where there is a food safety warning.

Finally, regarding the determination of commodity codes, the Food Safety Department recommends that businesses and individuals proactively contact the Customs authority for specific instructions, especially in cases where there are differences or inconsistencies in the classification and determination of commodity codes.

Clarifying the regulations this time not only helps the business community comply with the law accurately and effectively, but also contributes to protecting consumer health through strict control of the quality of imported food, one of the areas that always receives special attention from society.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/bo-y-te-lam-ro-quy-dinh-kiem-tra-doi-voi-thuc-pham-nhap-khau-d284054.html