Transparent management of functional foods with specific standards

(Chinhphu.vn) - In the past 2 months, the functional food industry has attracted special attention from the public when the police continuously discovered and dismantled production and consumption chains of fake, poor quality, and unknown origin functional foods. Regarding this issue, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hoang, Vice President of the Vietnam Functional Food Association, said that this is an opportunity for consumers as well as the whole society to "understand correctly - use correctly - do correctly", at the same time, rectify management work and make the market healthy.

Pharmacist Nguyen Xuan Hoan, Vice President of Vietnam Dietary Supplement Association - Photo: VGP/HM

Responding to the press, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hoang said that the recent incidents were isolated cases, taking advantage of legal regulations that the state wanted to create favorable conditions for businesses, taking advantage of shortcomings in law enforcement and corrupt officials to profit, make illegal profits, regardless of morality.

Mr. Hoang cited that the global dietary supplement market in 2025 is estimated at about 371 billion USD and by 2034 it could be approximately 700 billion USD. Domestically, the Vietnamese dietary supplement market has grown rapidly in the past 10 years.

Currently, the whole country has more than 3,000 establishments producing and trading functional foods, more than 12,000 products in circulation, of which more than 8,000 products are domestically produced.

Need to transparently manage functional foods using standards and regulations - Photo: VGP/HM

Mr. Hoang said that the rapid development of the functional food industry in the past 10 years is due to the scientifically confirmed benefits in health care, health improvement, disease prevention and people's increasing expectations for quality of life.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hoang emphasized that only when manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers put the interests of the community first, can they avoid fraudulent business practices and exaggerating the effects for profit.

Transparent management by standards and regulations

Affirming that post-audit is an inevitable trend, approaching the current business world, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hoang said that, in order to conduct post-audit, management agencies must have appropriate management standards and regulations and strict sanctions. In particular, it is necessary to establish a system of sanctions strong enough to handle violations. The level of sanctions must be sufficiently deterrent - including fines and criminal prosecution if necessary.

At a recent National Assembly forum, when discussing the Draft amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Technical Standards and Regulations, delegates said that in the context of deep integration, standards and regulations increasingly play an essential role in product quality management.

In response to many opinions and proposals, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung also affirmed that if we do not have standards for management and supervision, it will immediately affect the health and safety of the people, the community and the environment.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, we must manage products and goods to ensure State management before they are put on the market, without affecting people's health, the environment, or social issues, while still ensuring transparency and convenience in business operations.

Management must also reduce costs and increase competitiveness for businesses and Vietnamese goods.

Every citizen is an "inspector"

Sharing about this issue, Dr. Hoang also said that it is necessary to propagate so that consumers understand that they are also a link, a market "inspector" to help management agencies eliminate poor quality products. However, to do so, it is necessary to have standards, regulations and transparency.

DS. Hoang cited that if they suspect a product is fake and want to check the product quality, not all consumers know where and how to check product information and test the product.

In that case, the management agency is the unit that plays the role of providing information. The management agency needs to publicly and transparently disclose product information on the website and there is a connection between management agencies.

For example, if food supplements or fortified foods are announced locally, the information on those products must be linked to the Food Safety Department under the Ministry of Health. Only then can consumers look them up.

The management agency is responsible for announcing reputable units with the function of inspecting and testing product quality for consumers to send suspicious samples to.

For businesses, it is necessary to develop a set of standards and regulations for their own products. Simply put, when registering a product, businesses must fully inform the management agency about the standards and testing methods for that product. When disputes or problems arise, the testing method will prove the quality and integrity of the business. Making this public is only beneficial for businesses, Dr. Hoang emphasized.

When using dietary supplements, consumers need to: clearly identify their problem (support treatment or improve health), choose the right product, choose a reputable supplier and use according to the manufacturer's instructions. Consulting a treating physician is recommended to avoid unwanted interactions with the medication being used.

In terms of production, it must be done correctly, must comply with procedures and regulations on standards, norms, must do business correctly, must declare correctly and must advertise correctly... That is, it must comply with the provisions of the law.

Hien Minh

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/minh-bach-quan-ly-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-bang-quy-chuan-cu-the-102250528101100535.htm