National Assembly Delegates Warn of Gaps in Food Origin and Safety Management

During a group discussion on October 24 regarding the draft amendment to the Law on Food Safety, several National Assembly delegates expressed deep concerns over food origin management. They emphasized the necessity of establishing stricter control mechanisms for collective kitchens and online food businesses.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh (Hung Yen delegation) stated that unsafe food has become a 'major issue'. She proposed that the new law must create substantive changes in traceability and incident response. Specifically for collective kitchens like school meals, the law must clearly define the responsibilities of providers and schools, from raw material selection to food sample retention.

Regarding fresh food, Delegate Binh stressed the importance of controlling supply chains from collection and distribution to retail at public markets. Citing the case of diseased pork in Hanoi in March 2026, she affirmed the need for rigorous control processes, requiring vendors to maintain documentation to enable immediate isolation and recall in the event of an incident.

Delegate Quan Minh Cuong, Secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee, questioned the effectiveness of post-market surveillance. He argued that specific entities must be held responsible for industrial and school meals. Furthermore, he emphasized the necessity of controlling prohibited substances in both livestock and medical sectors, such as Salbutamol, which poses serious public health consequences.

Regarding online management, Delegate Sam Minh Ho (Cao Bang delegation) pointed out a 'legal loophole' involving a 'three-no' situation: no physical store, no business license, and no traceability. He proposed a shift from post-market to pre-market inspection, requiring all food sales accounts to be linked to citizen identification cards and integrated with VNeID for easier management.

Additionally, delegates proposed specific standards for containers and transport vehicles to prevent cross-contamination, alongside the application of data technology to closely monitor the logistics chain for consumers.