Circular No. 04/1998/TT-BYT guiding the management of food safety and hygiene in food service and catering activities

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for Implementing Food Safety and Sanitation Management
in Business, Services, and Catering

To proactively prevent and control diseases transmitted through food and food poisoning, based on the Sanitation Regulations issued together with the Council of Ministers' Decree No. 23/HĐBT dated January 24, 1991, and Government Decree No. 86/CP dated December 8, 1995 "Regulating State Management Responsibilities for Product Quality," the Ministry of Health provides guidelines for state management of food safety and sanitation in business, services, and catering as follows:

For office premises of agencies and units under the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Defense, they shall be implemented according to separate guidelines issued by the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Defense after consultation with the Ministry of Finance.

Every individual and organization engaged in business, services, and catering activities, such as retail stores, counters selling ready-to-eat foods (ready-to-eat food business establishments); restaurants and eateries (food service establishments); cafeterias and collective dining facilities of agencies, enterprises, hospitals, schools (catering establishments), etc., collectively referred to as food service establishments, shall be responsible for fully implementing the specific provisions set forth in this Circular.

II. SANITARY REQUIREMENTS:

1. For Ready-to-Eat Food Business Establishments:

Ready-to-eat foods may not be sold near open sewers, garbage dumps, toilets, muddy water pools, or fresh produce stalls like poultry, shrimp, crab, live fish, etc.

Ready-to-eat foods such as bread, pastries, buns, meat, fish, etc., must be packaged in clean wrapping (not using painted, printed, or inked paper) or displayed in glass cases to avoid flies and dust.

All types of ready-to-eat foods, including those that are pre-packaged, must be displayed for sale on elevated stands at least one meter above the ground.

Separate knives, cutting boards, and containers must be provided for preparing and serving cooked foods.

Sales personnel must maintain personal hygiene; they should not have infectious or skin diseases; customers should not handle food directly with their hands; instead, separate tools should be provided for customers to select food.

2. For Food Service and Catering Establishments:

Sanitary Requirements for Facilities:

The kitchen layout must follow a one-way flow principle: raw material storage area - preparation area - distribution or sale of prepared food.

Dining rooms, food preparation tables, storage areas, or food preservation spaces must be kept clean and hygienic.

Garbage bins must have lids to prevent spillage and leakage of waste water. Garbage must be removed daily and stored away from food preparation and dining areas.

There must be covered containers for leftover food to prevent spillage and leakage of food liquids.

Sewer drains around shops and kitchens must be unobstructed.

Adequate clean water must be available for regular operations and for customers to wash their hands before eating. If well or reservoir water is used, it must be covered, with the mouth of the well or reservoir at least one meter above ground level, free from external contamination, and regularly cleaned and maintained.

Sanitary Requirements for Utensils:

Dishes, spoons, chopsticks, etc., used by customers must be thoroughly washed and kept dry.

VIETNAM TOBACCO ASSOCIATIONContainers for chopsticks and spoons must be dry, ventilated, clean, made of non-porous materials. Chopsticks must be air-dried before being placed in chopstick holders.

Baskets and strainers for food must not be placed on dirty, damp floors.

Other utensils like knives, cutting boards, pots, etc., must be immediately washed and stored in clean places after use.

Separate knives and cutting boards must be provided for raw and cooked foods.

Only permitted cleaning agents for food handling and preparation may be used; industrial cleaning agents are prohibited.

Sanitary Requirements for Staff:

Personnel involved in food preparation and service must be trained in food hygiene and understand their responsibilities and tasks. They must undergo health checks before starting work and then annually thereafter, including stool tests. Those suffering from skin diseases or infectious diseases listed in Decision No. 505/BYT-QĐ dated April 13, 1992 of the Ministry of Health must temporarily stop working, switch to other duties until cured, or refrain from contact with ready-to-eat foods, tableware, and direct food packaging.

Service staff must maintain personal hygiene, keep nails short and clean.

Staff clothing and accessories must be neatly stored in lockers or hung on racks, not in food preparation areas.

After using the toilet, handling raw food, or performing other tasks, hands must be washed with soap and clean water before resuming food preparation, service, or selling cooked food.

Sellers of ready-to-eat food must maintain personal hygiene, keep nails trimmed, wear hats and masks, and prevent customers from handling food directly; instead, provide separate tools for customers to select food.

Sanitary Requirements During Food Preparation and Storage:

Use food products with clear origins.

Strictly prohibit the use of food additives, colorants, and synthetic sweeteners not included in the list approved by the Ministry of Health.

Do not use spoiled, rotten, or diseased animal products for food preparation.

Meat and fish must be thoroughly cooked.

Cooked food must be protected from flies, dust, and insects when displayed or stored according to the following principles: in glass cases if outdoors; in screened cabinets or covered tables if indoors; and absolutely no direct covering with cloth.

Cooked food not refrigerated must be reheated before serving if more than six hours have passed since preparation.

Fresh vegetables, especially those prone to pesticide contamination, must be soaked and rinsed at least three times in clean water or washed under running water and dried before cooking or serving raw.

III. REGULATIONS ON REPORTING AND INVESTIGATING FOOD POISONING INCIDENTS:

When food poisoning is detected or suspected (when at least two people who ate together experience diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc., simultaneously), the owner of the food service establishment or the person responsible must immediately report to the nearest health authority; Suspected food causing poisoning must be kept for investigation, testing, and determining the cause by the relevant authorities. The food service establishment that provides the type of food causing poisoning will bear full responsibility for the violation and must pay all medical examination and treatment costs for the poisoned patients, as well as the costs for investigating the cause of the poisoning.

Relatives of the poisoned individuals need to provide complete information related to the case to the doctor so that appropriate and timely treatment can be provided.

State and private healthcare facilities, when receiving food poisoning patients, must organize immediate emergency care and report promptly to the nearest hygiene and epidemic prevention agency. The doctor directly examining and providing emergency care must immediately report to the leadership of their facility during their shift.

Hygiene and epidemic prevention agencies, upon being informed of a food poisoning incident, must send personnel to investigate the cause of the poisoning within two hours from the time of receipt of the notification, and simultaneously report in the fastest manner to the Department of Health for guidance on mobilizing relevant agencies to handle the situation and compile information.

For every food poisoning incident occurring within the province or centrally governed city, the Department of Health has the responsibility to compile information, provide a quick report (if the number of affected individuals is high), and submit periodic reports to the Preventive Medicine Division for guidance and compilation of information to report to the Minister.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Minister of Health assigns the Preventive Medicine Division to cooperate with the Ministry of Health Inspectorate (Hygiene Inspection) to guide, urge, and inspect the implementation of this Circular; delegate authority and provide guidance to health sector units responsible for state management of food safety for mobile food service establishments and food service establishments serving only internal purposes.

2. The Department of Health is responsible for assisting the People's Committee of the province or centrally governed city in managing food safety within their jurisdiction for all subjects specified in Section I of this Circular; issue certificates of compliance with food safety standards to establishments classified according to Decision 2482/BYT-QĐ dated December 18, 1996, of the Minister of Health; coordinate with authorized health sector units to manage food service establishments under their jurisdiction within the local area; coordinate with the Commerce Department to ensure that each food service establishment meets all hygiene requirements before issuing or renewing business registration; guide, urge, and inspect the implementation of this Circular by Preventive Medicine Centers and assign District, County Disease Control Teams and Commune Health Stations to regularly monitor food service establishments within their areas.

3. The Institute of Nutrition, the Ho Chi Minh City Public Health Institute, the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute, and the West Region Epidemiology Institute are responsible for providing scientific and technical guidance to Provincial and centrally governed city Preventive Medicine Centers; gradually support these centers to perform all rapid tests for food safety indicators necessary for on-site inspections or quick responses to test results.

4. Provincial and centrally governed city Preventive Medicine Centers, Disease Control Teams, and health stations are specialized technical units tasked with inspecting and supervising the implementation of food safety regulations by food service establishments; when violations of food safety regulations are discovered, they must prepare a record and immediately transfer it to the Health Inspectorate or the local government for handling.

5. Healthcare units within the sector are responsible for guiding, supervising, and urging the implementation of hygiene requirements at internal food service establishments according to the provisions of this Circular.

This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of signature. Previous regulations contrary to those stipulated in this Circular are abolished.

Any difficulties encountered during implementation should be reported to the Ministry of Health (Preventive Medicine Division) for study and resolution./.