Tightening Food Safety Regulations: Shifting from Pre-audit to Substantive Post-market Inspection
The National Assembly Standing Committee discusses the amended Food Safety Law, emphasizing a transition to post-market inspection and data-driven management to protect public health.
On the afternoon of September 24th, during the 6th session, the National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) focused on deliberating the draft Law on Food Safety (amended). The Government proposed a series of new policies to enhance control effectiveness, including imposing additional obligations on e-commerce enterprises and online food delivery services.
The draft also emphasizes rigorous requirements for food after harvesting, catching, and slaughtering, which must meet strict residue limits for pesticides, veterinary drugs, and contaminants. The registration procedure for product declarations before market entry is also being carefully reviewed to ensure transparency.
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that after 15 years of implementing the Law, the urgent requirement is to modernize the governance model. Instead of fragmented management, focus must be placed on defining chain-of-custody responsibilities and shifting the center of gravity from pre-audit to post-market inspection. He emphasized that post-market inspection must be substantive, based on product origins and compliance history rather than formalistic documentation checks.
The NA leader also demanded that the draft clearly delineate responsibility boundaries between Ministries, sectors, and local governments. Risk classification criteria must be established within the law to serve as a basis for control process design, preventing arbitrary management. The NA Chairman emphasized: 'Food safety should not be used as a reason to restore the 'ask-give' mechanism, nor should administrative reform be used as an excuse to lower food safety standards.'