The country's first Food Safety Department will operate from January 1, 2024.

Thus, Ho Chi Minh City is the first locality in the country to have a Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety.

Accordingly, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety is a specialized agency under the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. This department has the function of advising and assisting the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in state management of food safety.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety is under the direct and comprehensive direction and management of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in terms of organization, staffing and operations. At the same time, it is subject to the direction, inspection and guidance on expertise and profession of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade .

Ho Chi Minh City People's Council delegates voted to pass a Resolution on the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety.

The pilot model of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Management Board is a breakthrough.

Previously, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee submitted to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety. It proposed that the Resolution on the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety take effect from January 1, 2024.

According to Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Bui Xuan Cuong, the pilot model of Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Management Board (abbreviated as Management Board) combines forces from 3 Departments (Health, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development).

This model is a breakthrough in the process of sustainable development and ensuring social security, taking the goal of protecting people's health as a guideline for action; completely consistent with Ho Chi Minh City's policies and the local practical situation.

Through the results achieved after the piloting of the Food Safety Management Board model (from 2017 to present), the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee realized that this is the ripe stage to promote the highest efficiency in ensuring food safety in the new situation, protecting and improving the health of people living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, creating a positive change in community awareness.

It is extremely necessary to establish a specialized agency to manage state food safety in order to prevent and thoroughly and fundamentally resolve the situation of food insecurity in the city, and overcome shortcomings, problems, and barriers in inter-sectoral coordination.

Establishing a Department of Food Safety is necessary

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety is necessary due to the practical requirement of ensuring food safety in a large, constantly developing city like Ho Chi Minh City.

On June 24, the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City, effective from August 1, 2023. In which, Clause 1, Article 9 stipulates that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council establishes the Department of Food Safety as a specialized agency under the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

To facilitate the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee proposed that the Resolution on the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety take effect from January 1, 2024.

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