Ministry of Health Proposes Unified Food Safety Management Structure Nationwide

The Ministry of Health is currently seeking public feedback on the draft plan titled 'Improving the State Management Apparatus for Food Safety'. The core objective of this proposal is to establish a unified management authority from the central government down to local levels, addressing current limitations, overlaps, and duplications in management while integrating advanced global regulatory models.

Under the draft, at the central level, the food safety management functions currently held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade will be transferred to the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) under the Ministry of Health. Exceptions include the management of primary production conditions (cultivation, livestock, fishing) and anti-smuggling/fraud activities, which will remain under their respective ministries.

At the provincial level, the draft proposes to dissolve existing food safety sub-departments and divisions under the Departments of Health. Instead, specialized Departments of Food Safety will be established. These new departments will consolidate all relevant functions, personnel, and infrastructure from the Departments of Industry and Trade and the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development.

At the commune level, the plan aims to establish Food Safety Teams as administrative service units directly under the People's Committees. These teams will be tasked with direct supervision, on-site inspections, and filing violation reports for the Chairman of the People's Committee to review and handle, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement at the local level.