Do street food vendors need to apply for certificates of food safety eligibility in Vietnam?

Do street food vendors need to apply for certificates of food safety eligibility in Vietnam?

Pursuant Article 12 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP stipulates that exemption from the certificate of food safety is as follows:

1. The following entities are not required to obtain the certificate of food safety:

a) Micro food manufacturers;

b) Mobile food manufacturers and sellers;

c) Micro food processors;

d) Micro food sellers;

dd) Sellers of prepackaged foods;

e) Manufacturers and sellers of instruments and materials for wrapping and storing food;

g) Restaurants within hotels;

h) Industrial kitchens not registered as a food business;

i) Street food vendors;

k) Any food business that has one of the following certificates: GMP, HACCP, ISO 22000, IFS, BRC, FSSC 22000 or an equivalent certificate.

2. The entities mentioned in Clause 1 of this Article must satisfy corresponding food safety requirements.

Thus, if you want to sell street food, you do not need to apply for a Certificate of food safety eligibility in Vietnam.

Do street food vendors need to apply for certificates of food safety eligibility in Vietnam? (Image from the Internet)

What do I need to prepare to apply for a certificate of food safety eligibility in Vietnam?

According to Article 36 of the Food Safety Law 2010 stipulating dossiers, order and procedures for the grant of certificates of food safety eligibility are as follows:

1. A dossier of application for a certificate of food safety eligibility comprises:

a/ An application for a certificate of food safety eligibility:

b/ A copy of the business registration certificate:

c/ Written explanations about the satisfaction of food safety and hygiene conditions of physical foundations, equipment and tools as prescribed by competent state management agencies:

d/ Health certificates of the establishments owner and persons directly engaged in food production and trading, issued by a district- or higher-level health establishment:

e/ Certificates of training in knowledge about food safety and hygiene of the establishment's owner and persons directly engaged in food production and trading as prescribed by line ministers.

2. The order of and procedures for the grant of certificates of food safety eligibility

a/ Food producers and traders shall submit dossiers of application for certificates of food safety eligibility to a competent state manage­ment agency defined in Article 35 of this Law;

b/ Within 15 days after the receipt of a complete and valid dossier, the competent state agency shall conduct field inspection of food safety assurance conditions at the producer's or trader's establishment. If all conditions are met. it shall grant a certificate of food safety eligibility; in case of refusing to grant a certificate, it shall issue a written reply clearly stating the reason.

According to this Article, to apply for a Certificate of food safety eligibility in Vietnam, it is necessary to fully prepare the documents specified above.

How long are certificate of food safety eligibility valid in Vietnam?

In Article 37 of the Food Safety Law 2010 regulates the validity duration of certificates of food safety eligibility are as follows:

1. A certificate of food safety eligibility is valid for 3 years.

2. At least 6 months before the expiration date of a certificate of food safety eligibility, if the food producer or trader wishes to continue its/ his/her production or trading activities, it/he/she shall submit a dossier of application for the re-grant of a certificate of food safety eligibility. Dossiers of application and the order of and procedures for re-grant of certificates comply with Article 36 of this Law.

Thus, the certificate of food safety eligibility in Vietnam is valid for 3 years.

Best regards!