Ho Chi Minh City proposes establishing a rapid response team to address food safety incidents within 2 hours
HCMC is seeking feedback on a draft regulation for rapid response, food safety incident classification, and a mandate to act within 2 hours of receiving incident reports.
Ho Chi Minh City is currently gathering public feedback on a draft regulation regarding monitoring procedures and rapid response mechanisms designed to prevent, contain, and resolve food safety incidents across the city. The consultation period remains open until November 2.
Under the draft, food safety incidents are classified into three levels. Level 1 covers local incidents. Level 2 includes incidents occurring in industrial parks, export processing zones, educational institutions from high school level and above, incidents affecting at least two wards or communes, or cases involving fatalities. Level 3, the highest level, applies to incidents involving the death of foreign nationals or those impacting the city's security, political stability, social order, and tourism.
Regarding jurisdiction, the People's Committee at the ward/commune level will lead the response for Level 1 incidents, while the Department of Food Safety will coordinate responses for Level 2 incidents. For Level 3 incidents, the HCMC People's Committee will direct the Department of Food Safety to collaborate with relevant authorities to address the situation. The draft also proposes activating rapid response teams comprising representatives from the Department of Food Safety, Department of Health, Police, and other necessary specialized agencies.
A notable highlight of the draft is the requirement that rapid response teams must deploy to the scene within 2 hours of receiving a report. These teams are tasked with verifying and investigating causes, collecting samples for testing, and tracing food origins. An initial report on the findings must be submitted to the Department of Food Safety or the HCMC People's Committee within 24 hours.
To ensure effective oversight, the city has established four channels for information reception: the 24/7 hotline of the Department of Food Safety, an interconnected online reporting system between medical and educational facilities, the official digital platforms of the City People's Committee, and feedback from the media, social networks, and notifications from central and local ministries.