Draft list of imported goods subject to food safety inspection

The Department of Industry ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ) has just submitted a document to Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien on the development of a Circular promulgating the List of imported goods (with HS codes) subject to state inspection of food safety under the management authority of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Legal basis and requirements

According to Clause 2, Article 18 of the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents, Ministers are entitled to issue circulars to implement the state management function. The 2010 Law on Food Safety and Decree 15/2018/ND-CP also clearly stipulate the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in state inspection of imported food under its management authority.

In addition, in the 2025 Work Plan of the Central Inter-sectoral Steering Committee on Food Safety, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is assigned to develop legal documents on the list of imported goods subject to specialized inspection in this field.

Currently, the list of goods managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade is stipulated in Decision 1182/QD-BCT issued in 2021, based on the List of Vietnam's import and export goods stipulated by the Ministry of Finance in Circular 65/2017/TT-BTC. However, from June 2022, Circular 65 has expired and been replaced by Circular 31/2022/TT-BTC, leading to the need to review and update the list to comply with the new HS code system.

In addition to technical reasons, the Department of Industry also pointed out that the regulation of the list by administrative decision is not legally sufficient and needs to be upgraded to a Circular to ensure the strictness and stability of the system of legal documents.

Objectives and viewpoints of developing the Circular

According to the submission, the new Circular aims at three main goals:

(1) Ensure a clear legal basis for food safety inspection activities for imported goods under the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

(2) Increase the initiative and management effectiveness of local specialized inspection agencies;

(3) Ensure consistency with the provisions of the Food Safety Law, Decree 15/2018/ND-CP, Decree 146/2025/ND-CP and Circular 31/2022/TT-BTC of the Ministry of Finance.

The drafting agency affirmed that the Circular will not set out new administrative procedures, will not create conditional business lines, but will only identify a list of goods with HS codes, management measures and responsible agencies.

The draft Circular applies to organizations and individuals importing food subject to food safety inspection managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade according to the provisions of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP. The list of goods is determined based on the HS code system currently applied in Circular 31/2022/TT-BTC.

After taking over the task of food safety management from the Department of Science and Technology (March 2025), the Department of Industry reviewed the normative documents, assessed the need for amendments and prepared a dossier to submit to the Ministry. The submission was sent with document No. 1253/TTr-CN dated July 22, 2025, and was approved by the Ministry's leaders.

The issuance of the Circular is also in accordance with the direction of the Secretariat in Directive 17-CT/TW in 2022, requiring strengthening food security and safety and perfecting the legal system from central to local levels. After being approved by the Minister, the draft Circular will be posted for comments according to regulations before being officially issued.

Attached files

Tags: Department of Industry

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/trinh-du-thao-danh-muc-hang-nhap-khau-phai-kiem-tra-an-toan-thuc-pham.html