Deputy Prime Minister requests review of shortcomings in functional food safety management

Thực phẩm chức năng - Ảnh 1. — A batch of fake functional foods worth up to 100 tons was discovered and seized by the police - Photo: Provided by the police

On May 28, the Government Office issued a document conveying the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long to handle feedback on the management of functional foods.

The document stated that on May 15, the Government Electronic Information Portal had a document reporting to the Prime Minister about press information reflecting the management of functional foods.

According to the article titled "The system of checking and licensing functional foods: Many loopholes, easy to manipulate", from the case of discovering hundreds of fake functional foods, the police agency is continuing to expand the investigation of violations related to the system of "backing" fake functional foods, causing serious harm to the community, increasing public outrage.

From this case, the investigation agency determined that the inspection and licensing system for the functional food industry has many loopholes. The formalistic, non-transparent and easily manipulated approach has turned a field directly related to human health into a fertile ground for vested interests and corruption, the article stated.

In response to the above reflection, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long requested the Ministry of Health to review and clearly report on the limitations and shortcomings in current regulations on food safety management for functional food products.

He noted that the Ministry of Health should clearly identify issues that are not yet strict, have loopholes, and are easily exploited and manipulated to violate regulations and not ensure food safety.

On that basis, the Ministry of Health shall preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to immediately implement solutions to overcome the problem according to its functions, tasks and authority.

Recently, in early May, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Agency prosecuted Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong - former director of the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) - and four officials of this agency for accepting bribes.

Initial investigation results determined that Nguyen Nang Manh - Director of MegaPhaco Company - colluded, colluded and gave "lobby" money to a number of leaders and officials of the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health). From there, these leaders and officials ignored violations, creating favorable conditions for appraisal and post-inspection.

After spending money, Manh was granted four certificates of food safety qualified facilities meeting good manufacturing practices for two factories.

The investigation agency said that the violations of the above defendants helped Nguyen Nang Manh and his accomplices produce fake functional foods in particularly large quantities, making illegal profits, seriously affecting people's lives and health, causing economic losses, and causing outrage in society.

More than 900 health food brands are produced by this group, focusing on the elderly, children and pregnant women.

The raw materials announced by this company are imported from the US and European countries, but in reality, most of the raw materials are imported from China.

Dear Hoang

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/pho-thu-tuong-yeu-cau-ra-soat-bat-cap-trong-quan-ly-an-toan-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-20250528185346566.htm