Minister Dao Hong Lan: Amending the Food Safety Law Must Prioritize Public Health

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stated that amending the Food Safety Law after approximately 16 years of implementation is a core task. Given the complexity of food categories and their direct impact on public health, the Ministry of Health has proactively organized over 60 consultation meetings with ministries, agencies, localities, and industry associations to draft the law.

According to the Minister, the consistent goal of the draft Law is to prioritize public health while harmonizing the interests of citizens and businesses. The new regulations are designed to bridge existing management gaps and meet international trade standards, ensuring that food import and export activities remain seamless.

The draft Law focuses on major changes such as supply chain-based food safety management, administrative procedure reduction, digitization of information, and the management of food sold in e-commerce environments. The Minister emphasized that identifying a unified state management agency for food safety is a breakthrough step to enhance governance effectiveness.

Regarding supply chain management, the Ministry of Health plans to reduce inspection frequency for businesses with a good compliance history. This requires authorities to build a database that records the full operational and violation history of each business. This system will not only support post-market inspection but also publicize information to help citizens identify frequently violating entities.

The Minister also noted the specific characteristics of each product type in the management process, from production and transportation to storage. She cited examples such as dietary supplements, where it is necessary to clearly distinguish between product degradation due to production faults versus poor storage conditions, to avoid wrongly accusing businesses of producing counterfeit goods.

For the new model to operate effectively, close inter-sectoral coordination is required in data sharing. The Ministry of Health will review the coordination responsibilities among Ministries and call for supervision from the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the public to detect violations early at the grassroots level.

The draft Law is currently being finalized for submission to the National Assembly. The Ministry of Health is committed to incorporating feedback, viewing this as a critical legal foundation to improve food quality and protect public health in the long term.