Circular No. 03/2017/TT-BNNPTNT Issuing National Technical Regulations on Food Safety Requirements in Aquatic Product Production and Business

 CIRCULAR

Issuing National Technical Regulations on Food Safety Requirements in Aquatic Product Production and Business

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Pursuant to Decree No. 199/2013/NĐ-CP dated November 26, 2013 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Pursuant to the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations dated June 29, 2006;

Pursuant to the Food Safety Law dated June 17, 2010;

At the request of the Director of the Directorate for Quality Assurance of Agricultural Products, Forestry Products and Aquatic Products and the Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment,

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular on issuing National Technical Regulations on Food Safety Requirements in Aquatic Product Production and Business.

Article 1. Accompanying this Circular are 02 National Technical Regulations on Food Safety Requirements in Aquatic Product Production and Business:

1. National Technical Regulation: Small-scale aquatic product production and business establishments - Food safety requirements

Code: QCVN 02 - 23: 2017/BNNPTNT

2. National Technical Regulation: Fish oil and fish fat production establishments - Food safety requirements

Code: QCVN 02 - 24: 2017/BNNPTNT

Article 2. This Circular takes effect from August 13, 2017.

Article 3. AThe Director of the Quality Management Department of Forestry, Agricultural Products and Aquatic Products, Heads of relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals shall be responsible for implementation.

During the implementation process, if there are difficulties, agencies, organizations, and individuals shall promptly report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for study, amendment, and supplementation./.

 

 

 

 

QCVN 02 - 23: 2017/BNNPTNT

NATIONAL TECHNICAL REGULATION - SMALL-SCALE AQUATIC PRODUCT PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS - FOOD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

National technical regulation - Small-scaled fishery establishments - Requirements for food safety

 

Preamble:

QCVN 02 - 23: 2017/BNNPTNT was compiled by the Quality Management Department of Forestry, Agricultural Products and Aquatic Products, reviewed by the Science and Technology Department - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and issued pursuant to Circular No. 03/2017/TT-BNNPTNT dated February 13, 2017 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

SMALL-SCALE AQUATIC PRODUCT PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS - FOOD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

Small-scaled fishery establishments - Requirements for food safety

 

This technical regulation sets out technical requirements, testing methods, sampling procedures; management requirements; responsibilities of organizations and individuals producing, trading, and importing cigarettes.

Thông tư này quy định chi tiết khoản 4 Điều 38 Luật Thủy sản số 18/2017/QH14 đã được sửa đổi, bổ sung tại điểm c khoản 21 Điều 14 Luật số 146/2025/QH15.

This regulation sets forth food safety requirements for small-scale aquatic product production and business establishments that are used as food within the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

2. Scope of Application

2.1. This regulation applies to small-scale aquatic product production and business establishments that are used as food (hereinafter referred to as "establishments") and related organizations and individuals.

2.2. This regulation does not apply to:

- Organizations and individuals producing aquatic products for self-consumption purposes or only selling aquatic food products.

- Establishments producing and processing dried, fish sauce, and small-scale fish paste products.

- Initial small-scale production establishments.

In this technical regulation, the following terms are understood as follows:

In these regulations, the following terms shall be understood as follows:

3.1. Small-scale aquatic product production and business establishments are establishments that have up to 10 workers.

3.2. Production area is where all activities such as receiving, preliminary processing, processing, packaging, and storing aquatic products take place.

3.3. Pre-packaged product is a product that has been packaged and labeled completely, ready for sale for further processing or immediate consumption.

3.4. Food safety is ensuring that food does not harm human health or life.

3.5. Pathogen is any biological or chemical agent introduced into food that can affect its quality or safety.

3.6. Contamination is the presence or entry of pathogens into the product.

3.7Ready-to-eat aquatic products are aquatic products that consumers can consume immediately without any additional processing.

3.8. Processing aid is a substance intended for use in the processing of food ingredients or components to achieve technological objectives, which may remain in the food.

1. Requirements for maximum tar and nicotine content in smoke from one cigarette

1. Requirement regarding location: separation from areas contaminated by pollutants declared by competent state authorities according to the law, residential areas, industrial waste treatment zones, hospitals.

2. Requirement regarding layout

2.2.1. The production area must be separated from family living areas, livestock and poultry rearing areas, waste collection sites.

2.2.2. Not providing shelter for harmful animals.

2.2.3. Ready-to-eat aquatic product processing area.

The ready-to-eat aquatic product processing area must be separated from non-ready-to-eat aquatic product processing areas and used exclusively for this purpose.

3. Design and Construction of Premises

3.1. The roof or ceiling must not leak, crack, and prevent rainwater and dust.

3.2. The surface of walls or partitions and the floor must be easy to clean.

3.3. If there is a waste storage area, it must be separated from the production area, easy to clean and disinfect.

3.4. There must be a changing area for workers' protective clothing before entering the production area.

3.5. Hand washing facilities with soap and clean towels must be provided at least at two locations: near the entrance to the production area and near the restroom.

3.6. Workers' restrooms must have sufficient water supply, equipped with covered trash bins, specialized toilet paper, and doors that do not open directly into the production area.

3.7. Adequate natural or artificial lighting must be available to perform production activities. Lighting equipment must have protective covers to prevent bulbs from falling and breaking into raw materials or products.

4. Water Supply and Drainage System

4.1. The establishment must have sufficient water for food processing and comply with National Technical Regulation QCVN 01:2009/BYT on drinking water quality.

4.2. In cases where the establishment uses self-extracted water sources (boreholes, dug wells, surface water), the establishment must conduct water quality analysis according to the Ministry of Health's regulations before use and monitor microbiological indicators at least once a year.

4.3. Drainage channels must have appropriate slopes to prevent water accumulation.

5. Equipment and Utensils

5.1. Equipment and utensils that come into direct contact with products (containers, processing tools, etc.) must be dedicated and made of durable, non-toxic, non-rusting, and non-porous material. The surfaces of equipment and utensils must be smooth, easy to clean and sanitize.

5.2. Waste containers must be clearly marked to distinguish them from product containers. Waste containers must be sealed, easy to clean and sanitize.

5.3. Equipment and tools in the post-heating processing stage that come into contact with seafood products and ready-to-eat seafood products must be used exclusively for this purpose and stored separately.

6. Raw materials, packaging materials, additives, chemicals

6.1. Raw materials must meet quality standards and have clear origins.

6.2. Packaging materials must be durable, non-toxic, and not affect product quality. They must be stored in clean, dry, well-ventilated areas.

6.3. Additives and processing aids must be listed in the current permitted usage list for food by the State and must retain their original labels or be labeled on repackaged containers while having clear origin purchase records. They must be stored in dry, clean places and not co-stored with cleaning agents, disinfectants, or harmful chemicals.

6.4. Only cleaning and disinfection agents approved by the Ministry of Health may be used. These agents must be contained in packaging clearly marked with their name and origin.

6.5. Chemicals to eliminate pests and harmful animals in food production areas shall not be used. Chemicals must retain their original labels and be stored separately.

7. Requirements for producers

7.1. The owner of the facility and workers directly involved in food production must obtain a certificate confirming knowledge of food safety according to regulations.

7.2. Workers directly involved in food production must undergo health examinations at recruitment and regular health check-ups as prescribed by the Ministry of Health. Health records of the facility owner and workers must be fully retained at the facility.

7.3. Workers suffering from infectious diseases such as infected wounds, skin diseases, diarrhea, etc., must be monitored to prevent them from participating directly in food production.

7.4. Workers directly involved in production must be equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment.

7.5. Workers must wash their hands before entering the production area, after using the restroom, or after coming into contact with any infectious material.

7.6. Personal protective equipment for workers handling ready-to-eat seafood, workers after thermal processing, and packaging of ready-to-eat seafood must be clean and used exclusively for these areas.

8. Requirements for factory hygiene and production equipment

8.1. The facility must be equipped with sufficient and dedicated cleaning tools.

8.2. Product contamination during cleaning and disinfection processes must be prevented.

8.3. The facility must be cleaned regularly to ensure cleanliness. Solid waste must be collected and removed from the production area frequently. Drainage channels for wastewater must be swept to ensure there is no sediment, standing water, and to minimize odors.

8.4. Production equipment, containers, and tools that come into direct contact with products must be cleaned thoroughly before and after use and stored in designated locations.

9. Quality and Food Safety Management

9.1. The facility must assign a person responsible for quality management.

9.2. The facility must maintain production tracking records, at minimum including the following contents:

9.2.1. Name, address, and contact information of the raw material supplier.

9.2.2. Quantity and quality of raw materials, quantity of finished products produced daily.

9.2.3. Name, address, and contact information of organizations or individuals consuming the product.

9.2.4. Quantity and type of finished products distributed.

9.3. Pre-packaged processed foods must be labeled according to current national regulations on product labeling, including the following information:

- Product name

- Name and address of the production facility

- Date of production

- Expiration date

- Composition of the product (quantity of each type of raw material including additives)

- Usage instructions, storage instructions

- Quantity of the product

- Any safety warnings or recommendations (if applicable)

9.4. The facility must ensure that all production activities, including raw material reception, are carried out quickly and not conducted directly on the floor.

9.5. Ready-to-eat products that are not yet sealed in packaging must not be stored together with non-ready-to-eat products.

9.6. Livestock, poultry, and other harmful animals must not enter the production area.

9.7. Smoking, spitting, and eating are prohibited in the production area.

9.8. The facility must establish rules regarding sanitation schedules and production monitoring.

9.9. Facilities producing pre-packaged processed products must declare conformity or compliance with food safety regulations before releasing them to the market.

9.10. The facility must store complete production records and worker health records. Record retention must last at least one year after the expiration date of the product.

8.2. Domestic-produced TNP1 explosive must declare compliance according to Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN dated December 12, 2012, issued by the Minister of Science and Technology regarding declaration of conformity to standards and technical regulations and methods of conformity assessment (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN) and Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BKHCN dated March 31, 2017, issued by the Minister of Science and Technology amending and supplementing certain provisions of Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN dated December 12, 2012, issued by the Minister of Science and Technology regarding declaration of conformity to standards and technical regulations and methods of conformity assessment (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BKHCN).

1. Declaration of Conformity

1.1. The facility must declare conformity and submit the declaration record to the specialized state management agency designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

1.2. The declaration of conformity must comply with the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

1.3. Methods of conformity assessment: can be implemented according to method 4 (typical sample testing combined with production process evaluation; monitoring through sampling at the production site and on the market combined with production process evaluation) or method 6 (combined system management evaluation).

2. Supervision and Sanctions

2.1. The facility must be subject to periodic or surprise inspections by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development or local state management agencies with authority.

2.2. Inspections, checks, and violation handling must comply with current laws.

3. Organization of Implementation

3.1. The facility owner is responsible for complying with technical standards to ensure food safety.

3.2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development organizes the dissemination, guidance, and implementation of these technical standards.

3.3. In cases where provisions in these standards change, supplement, or replace, they must be implemented according to new regulations issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

QCVN 02 - 24: 2017/BNNPTNT

NATIONAL TECHNICAL REGULATION - SEAFOOD PROCESSING FACILITIES - REQUIREMENTS - FOOD SAFETY ASSURANCE

National Technical Regulation - Fish Oil Processing Establishments - Requirements for Food Safety

 

Preamble:

QCVN 02-24: 2017/BNNPTNT was compiled by the Directorate of Quality Assurance for Forestry, Agriculture and Aquatic Products, submitted for approval by the Department of Science, Technology and Environment under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and promulgated together with Circular number: /2017/TT-BNNPTNT on the date of 2017 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

FISH OIL AND FAT PROCESSING ESTABLISHMENTS - REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOD SAFETY ENSUREMENT

Fish Oil Processing Establishments - Requirements for Food Safety

 

This technical regulation sets out technical requirements, testing methods, sampling procedures; management requirements; responsibilities of organizations and individuals producing, trading, and importing cigarettes.

Thông tư này quy định chi tiết khoản 4 Điều 38 Luật Thủy sản số 18/2017/QH14 đã được sửa đổi, bổ sung tại điểm c khoản 21 Điều 14 Luật số 146/2025/QH15.

This standard specifies the requirements to ensure food safety for fish oil and fat processing establishments.

This standard does not apply to small-scale fish oil and fat processing establishments.

Thông tư này áp dụng đối với tổ chức, cá nhân có liên quan đến hoạt động kinh doanh đối tượng thủy sản nuôi chủ lực trên lãnh thổ Việt Nam.

This standard applies to all organizations and individuals producing fish oil and fat for food purposes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In this technical regulation, the following terms are understood as follows:

In this regulation, the following terms are understood as follows:

3.1. Fish Oil is a mixture of fats extracted from one or more species of fish.

3.2. Crude Fish Oil (also known as fish fat) is fish oil in semi-finished form that must continue to undergo processing and refining to be used as food.

3.3. Refined Fish Oil is the product of the processing and refining of crude fish oil for use as food.

3.4. Oxidation is the chemical transformation process when fish oil comes into contact with oxygen in the air, reducing the quality of the fish oil.

1. Requirements for maximum tar and nicotine content in smoke from one cigarette

Fish oil and fat processing establishments must comply with the provisions set out in QCVN 02-02:2009/BNNPTNT: Fishery Product Processing and Trading Establishments - Food Safety Quality Assurance Program according to HACCP Principles; QCVN 02-01:2009/BNNPTNT on Fishery Product Processing Establishments - General Conditions for Ensuring Food Safety (hereinafter referred to as QCVN 02-01:2009/BNNPTNT), except for the provisions in Sections: 2.1.1.1; 2.1.3.5; 2.1.4.4 of QCVN 02-01:2009/BNNPTNT, and supplement some other requirements as follows:

1. Separating areas contaminated by environmental pollution announced by competent state agencies according to the law, and areas for concentrating and treating domestic and industrial waste, hospitals.

2. Arranging separate production areas, including raw material receiving, grinding, cutting areas; heating, processing, and refining areas (for crude and refined fish oil); packaging, finished product storage areas after packaging (for refined fish oil).

3. The roof or ceiling of the raw material receiving, grinding, cutting areas and heating, processing, refining areas must be sturdy, preventing rainwater and dust from falling down, easy to clean and maintain.

4. Equipment and Utensils, Storage Areas:

4.1. Storage tanks used for preservation must have a structure minimizing surface area exposed to air; tank openings must have secure lids and safety locks.

4.2. Pipeline systems for transporting fish oil and fat must be sealed when not in use.

4.3. Equipment during processing and refining must be equipped with necessary measuring devices such as temperature, time, pressure gauges to ensure products are processed according to requirements; these measuring devices must be calibrated and tested according to regulations.

5. Storage Requirements:

5.1. Fish oil and fat used for food must be stored separately from those used for other purposes at the processing establishment.

5.2. Fish oil and fat must be stored away from direct sunlight; additionally, for refined fish oil after packaging, it must be stored at room temperature or lower.

6. Transporting fish oil and fat: if transported through the same pipeline system, clear markings must distinguish different transport batches according to the principle that higher quality refined fish oil is transported first.

7. Sanitation procedures for fish oil and fat production, transportation, and storage systems: during regular sanitation, residual fish oil and fat must be thoroughly cleaned from the system. If steam or water is used, the system must be completely drained and dried before coming into contact with fish oil and fat. If cleaning agents or alkalis are used, surfaces must be rinsed with clean water to ensure no residues remain. If fish oil and fat are used for sanitation, they must be of equivalent or higher quality than the current production.

8. Workers in processing and refining areas must wear light-colored protective clothing and slip-resistant shoes or boots.

8.2. Domestic-produced TNP1 explosive must declare compliance according to Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN dated December 12, 2012, issued by the Minister of Science and Technology regarding declaration of conformity to standards and technical regulations and methods of conformity assessment (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN) and Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BKHCN dated March 31, 2017, issued by the Minister of Science and Technology amending and supplementing certain provisions of Circular No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN dated December 12, 2012, issued by the Minister of Science and Technology regarding declaration of conformity to standards and technical regulations and methods of conformity assessment (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BKHCN).

1. Declaration of Conformity

1.1. Fish oil and fat processing establishments must implement conformity declaration and submit the conformity declaration dossier to the specialized management agency designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

1.2. The declaration of conformity must comply with the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

1.3. Methods of conformity assessment: can be implemented according to method 4 (typical sample testing combined with production process evaluation; monitoring through sampling at the production site and on the market combined with production process evaluation) or method 6 (combined system management evaluation).

2. Supervision and Sanctions

2.1. Fish oil and fat processing establishments are subject to periodic or surprise inspections by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development or local competent management agencies.

2.2. Inspections, checks, and violation handling must comply with current laws.

3. Organization of Implementation

3.1. The owner of the fish oil and fat processing establishment specified in Point 1.2. shall be responsible for complying with the technical standard provisions to ensure food hygiene and safety.

3.2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development organizes the dissemination, guidance, and implementation of these technical standards.

3.3. In cases where provisions in these standards change, supplement, or replace, they must be implemented according to new regulations issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.