Vietnam: Reporting on recall of products

Specifically, according to Article 8 of Circular No. 23/2018/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, the product owner must complete the disposal of products recalled according to a mandatory recall decision issued by a competent authority within 03 months from the receipt of the competent authority's written approval for its measure for disposing of recalled products.

- Correction of label error:

+ Voluntary recall: Upon the completion of the correction of label error, the product owner must give a written notification, which specifies name, quantity and sample of product with correct label, to the food safety authority. After giving a written notification, the product owner may continue selling products;

+ Mandatory recall: Upon the completion of the correction of label error, the product owner must give a written notification, which specifies name, quantity and sample of product with correct label, to the authority issuing the recall decision.

Within 03 working days from the receipt of the notification from the product owner, the authority issuing the recall decision shall give a written approval for the sale of products or written reasons for disapproval for the sale of products. 

Upon the receipt of the written approval for the sale of products after the correction of product label from the authority issuing the recall decision, the product owner must give written notification of such written approval to the food safety authority. Products may be sold only after the product owner obtains a written approval from the authority issuing the recall decision.

- Repurposing:

Within 05 working days from the completion of the repurposing of products, the product owner must submit a report on the repurposing of products, which indicates name, quantity, time, new purposes, contract and invoice proving transactions between the product owner and the product buyer, to the food safety authority or the authority issuing the recall decision.

The buyer may only use disqualified products for the purposes defined in the contract signed with the product owner after submitting a report to the food safety authority.

- Re-exporting:

Within 05 working days from the completion of the re-exporting of products, the product owner must submit a written report on re-exporting results, which indicates the name, quantity, country of origin, re-exporting time, and is accompanied by re-exporting documents, to the food safety authority and the authority issuing the recall decision.

- Destruction:

Within 05 working days from the completion of the destruction of recalled products, the product owner must submit a written report on destruction results, which indicates the name, quantity, time and location of destruction, and is accompanied with the written record of the destruction of products certified by the authority in charge of organizing that destruction, to the food safety authority or the authority issuing the recall decision.

View details at Circular No. 23/2018/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, effective from November 01, 2018.

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