Inspection of food safety and quality must be carried out no more than once a year in Vietnam

Inspection of food safety and quality must be carried out no more than once a year in Vietnam (Internet image)

Article 5 of Circular 45/2012/TT-BCT stipulates that depending on the actual developments and the requirements of inspection of food safety and quality of each factory, the inspecting agency shall formulate annual plans for the inspection of food safety and quality (hereinafter referred to as plans) and estimate the budget for such plans before November 01st every year, and send them to competent authorities for approval. The inspection plan must determined the inspected products, the number of inspected factories, and the inspection content. Do not inspect a factory more than once a year. The inspecting agency must notify the inspection plan to the factories at least 15 days before the inspection date.

In addition, Article 6 of Circular 45/2012/TT-BCT stipulates that the inspecting agency in Vietnam shall carry out the irregular inspection in one of the following cases:

• There are circulating products that do not assure the food safety and quality, or are not conformable with the applicable standards and corresponding technical regulations.

• There are warnings from domestic and international organizations about the food safety and quality.

• The irregular inspection is requested by a competent State management agency in charge of food safety and quality.

• The inspecting agency must send prior notice about the inspection to the food factory.

At the same time, Article 7 of Circular 45/2012/TT-BCT stipulates that the inspection of food safety and quality in Vietnam includes:

• Inspect the documents related to the products and the process of food production.

• Inspect the assurance about the food safety and quality during the food production at the factory.

More details can be found in Circular 45/2012/TT-BCT, which comes into force from February 15, 2013.

Le Vy

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE