Circular No. 11/2026/TT-BCT on the Traceability of Origin of Food Products under the Management Scope of the Ministry of Industry and Trade

CIRCULAR

Regulations on Origin Tracing of Food Products within the Scope of Management of the Ministry of Commerce

Basis

The Law on Food Safety No. 55/2010/QH12, amended and supplemented by the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Articles of Eleven Related Laws Concerning Planning No. 28/2018/QH14; Based on the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests No. 19/2023/QH15;

Based on the Law on Organization of the Government No. 63/2025/QH15;

Based on Decree No. 46/2026/NĐ-CP of the Government, detailing and implementing certain provisions and measures to organize and guide the implementation of the Food Safety Law;

Based on Decision No. 66.13/2026/NQ-CP of the Government on declaration and registration of food products;

Based on Decree No. 55/2024/NĐ-CP of the Government, detailing certain provisions of the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests;

Based on Decree No. 15/2018/NĐ-CP of the Government, detailing certain provisions of the Food Safety Law;

Based on Decree No. 40/2025/NĐ-CP of the Government, detailing certain provisions of the Food Safety Law;

Based on Decree No. 109/2025/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 193/2025/NĐ-CP amending and supplementing the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Commerce;

Based on Decision No. 09/2026/NQ-CP of the Government suspending the effect and revising the application period of Decree No. 46/2026/NĐ-CP dated January 26, 2026, of the Government detailing and implementing certain provisions and measures to organize and guide the implementation of the Food Safety Law and Decision No. 66.13/2026/NQ-CP dated January 27, 2026, of the Government on declaration and registration of food products;

In accordance with the request of the Director of the Industrial Department;

The Minister of Commerce promulgates this Circular regulating origin tracing of food products within the scope of management of the Ministry of Commerce.

CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Application

This Circular stipulates activities related to origin tracing of food products, systems for origin tracing of food products, and responsibilities of relevant organizations and individuals in the activities of origin tracing of food products within the scope of management of the Ministry of Commerce as specified in Appendix IV attached to Decree No. 46/2026/NĐ-CP.

Article 2. Applicability

1. This Circular applies to organizations and individuals engaged in production, business activities involving food products (hereinafter referred to as "entities") within the scope of management of the Ministry of Commerce in Vietnam and other relevant organizations and individuals.

2. This Circular does not apply to:

a) Food products subject to certain exemptions from state inspection for food safety with respect to imported food (except cases involving food safety warnings) as provided in Article 19 of Decree No. 46/2026/NĐ-CP.

b) Food products produced and processed by households or individuals for their own use without business sale on the market.

Article 3. Interpretation of Terms

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

1. Origin tracing of food products refers to the process of tracing the formation and circulation of food products.

2. Product identification code is a series of numbers or alphanumeric codes used to convey initial information about the product from the production or import entity on the Ministry of Commerce's Food Origin Tracing Information Portal (hereinafter referred to as "Tracing Portal").

3. Food origin tracing code is the final identifier in each stage of the tracing process (including a continuous series of numbers or alphanumeric codes formed from the product identification code; location code; time of event occurrence, batch/lot number, or serial number) and is encoded on the data carrier to provide public, transparent information about food products on the market, serving as a basis for origin tracing.

4. Tracing event refers to activities that alter the state or characteristics of a product, storage location of the product, or ownership rights during the production and business process of food products.

5. The "one step forward - one step back" principle is the origin tracing principle requiring entities to store information to ensure traceability and identification of preceding and subsequent stages in the production and business process for a traced food product.

Article 4. Application Principles

1. The activity of origin tracing of food shall be conducted according to the principle of "one step forward - one step back". Information on origin tracing of food after each process must be encoded and identified by an appropriate method for the purpose of origin tracing.

2. Information serving the purpose of origin tracing of food must regularly establish, store complete information related in the form of a database during the production and business processes at the food production and business premises. Food production and business premises shall use information extracted from the available database established according to Article 5 of this Circular and other relevant information sources when conducting the activity of origin tracing.

3. The connection of the food database of the food production and business premises to the Ministry of Commerce's Origin Tracing System (hereinafter referred to as the "System") shall be implemented in accordance with the schedule specified in Article 15 of this Circular.

Chapter II
FOOD ORIGIN TRACING ACTIVITIES

Article 5. Food Origin Tracing Information

1. The food production and business premises must establish, store complete related information to ensure readiness to provide the minimum information and documents regarding the following production and business activities:

a) Name, address, contact information, enterprise registration number of the food production and business premises;

b) Business license or enterprise registration certificate or other certificates as prescribed by the law on business registration;

c) Food safety facility certification for cases falling under the scope of issuance of such certification.

2. The food production premises must establish, store complete related information to ensure readiness to provide the minimum information and documents regarding the following food items:

a) Name, product image;

b) Brand, trademark, code symbol, batch number (if applicable);

c) Identification code, food origin tracing code (if applicable);

d) Information on packaging specifications, material of packaging, components in the food;

d) Shelf life of the product for food with mandatory shelf life indication;

e) National standards, technical standards, international standards, regional standards, base standards applied;

g) Conformity declaration accompanying the conformity assessment result for food with technical specifications on quality indicators or safety indicators; or a standard declaration accompanied by the test report issued by an accredited testing organization under ISO/IEC 17025 for food without such technical specification or where no corresponding national technical specification certification body has been implemented in accordance with the law on standards and technical regulations, or where there is no method of evaluating compliance (if applicable);

h) Information on quantity, number, code of batch/lot;

i) Location, time of origin tracing events carried out by the food production premises;

k) Name, address, contact information, enterprise registration number of customers, distributors, transporters, storage and warehouse units, raw material/semi-finished product suppliers (if applicable);

l) Information on batch/lot of raw materials, semi-finished products (name, quantity, weight, time of delivery/receipt, shelf life, packaging material, additives); test results of the batch/lot of raw materials/semi-finished products conducted by the supplier, production premises or testing premises (if applicable);

m) Test results of the batch/lot of finished food products conducted by the production premises or testing premises (if applicable).

3. The food business premises must organize receipt of information and documents from the food production premises and regularly establish, store complete related information to ensure readiness to provide the minimum information and documents regarding food products according to the provisions in paragraph 2 points a, b, c, d, d, e, g hereof and supplement additional information on location, time of origin tracing events carried out by the food business premises.

4. For imported food products, in addition to the information specified in paragraphs 2 points a, b, c, d, d, e, g hereof, the food business premises must regularly establish, store complete related information and ensure readiness to provide additional information as follows:

a) Name, address, contact information of the manufacturer/exporter;

b) Name, address, contact information, enterprise registration number of the importer;

c) Certificate of Origin (C/O) or test results from the country of origin;

d) Information on quantity, number, code of imported batch.

5. For exported food products, the food production and business premises shall conduct origin tracing in accordance with the regulations of the importing country; those food products that are both exported and circulated within the country for consumption in the Vietnamese market must comply with the provisions of this Circular.

6. The food production and business premises establish and store a database at the premises to compile the information, documents specified in this Article in the form of electronic text forms and other relevant data types as required, consistent with regulations to provide and update product information on the Origin Tracing System.

Article 6. Storage of Records and Data for Tracing Origin

1. The storage period for records and data related to tracing the origin of food products shall be at least twelve months from the expiration date of the product for food with a shelf life, and sixty months from the production date for food without a mandatory expiration date.

2. Food production and business establishments must ensure that they can provide relevant records and documents for tracing the origin of food products within twenty-four hours after an authorized agency requests them.

Article 7. Activities for Tracing the Origin of Food Products by Food Production and Business Establishments

1. Food production establishments shall immediately trace the origin of food products upon self-monitoring, identifying unsafe food or violations of legal provisions, or when requested by a competent state agency according to the following steps:

a) Based on initial information (product name, batch code, production date), determine relevant information for the specific batch of food product that needs tracing;

b) Review production records and inspection records for the batch of food products to identify causes;

c) Contact suppliers of raw materials/finished goods, packaging for the batch of food products immediately to request related information;

d) Send an urgent notification to distributors and retailers who have received the batch of food products, requesting reports on quantities sold and inventory levels to implement product recall;

e) Analyze and determine the causes of safety issues for the batch of food products that need tracing;

f) Prepare a report detailing the results of tracing the origin of food products, including recovery and handling of food products; reasons, and application of corrective measures as specified in Form 1 attached to this Circular, sent to the competent authority according to legal provisions.

2. Food business establishments have the responsibility to immediately notify food production establishments upon self-monitoring, identifying unsafe food or violations of legal provisions, or when requested by a competent state agency; they must closely cooperate with food production establishments to trace the origin of food products in accordance with the provisions set out in paragraph 1 of this Article.

Article 8. Activities for Supervision, Inspection, and Handling by Competent State Agencies

During supervision and inspection processes, if competent state agencies discover food products that violate legal provisions on food safety, they shall send a notification to the food production and business establishments requiring them to trace the origin of food products in accordance with Article 7 of this Circular. They must also issue warnings about food products found to be non-compliant with legal provisions on food safety through the Tracing Information Portal.

Article 9. Activities for Tracing the Origin of Food Products by Consumers and Other Organizations or Individuals

1. Consumers and other organizations or individuals may freely access basic information about food products via the Tracing Information Portal or mobile applications, including:

a) Product name, product image;

b) Origin/source of the product according to labeling or declaration by the establishment;

c) Name, address, contact information, business registration number of the production and business establishment;

d) Brand, trademark, code, batch number (if applicable);

e) Shelf life of the product (if applicable);

f) National standards, national technical standards, international standards, regional standards, or base standards applied.

2. In case food products are found to have signs of being unsafe, consumers and other organizations or individuals may report such information through the Tracing Information Portal or send a written notification to the Ministry of Industry and Trade or competent state agencies according to legal provisions for timely verification and handling.

3. After receiving a conclusion from a competent state agency that food products are not safe, this information is publicly disclosed on the Tracing Information Portal.

Chapter III
SYSTEM FOR TRACING ORIGIN OF FOODSTUFFS

Article 10. Tracing System

1. The tracing system is an information technology system developed, managed, and operated by the Ministry of Commerce, with functions to collect, store, process, and provide information for origin tracing of foodstuffs, including:

a) The tracing portal is the sole centralized point of access, integrating information and services from multiple sources, displayed uniformly to support the Ministry of Commerce's activities in origin tracing;

b) Professional applications for receiving, storing, processing data on foodstuffs provided by food production and business entities, serving common data transmission and reception requirements with relevant ministries and agencies in food safety management work;

c) Integrated application for analyzing, evaluating categorized and processed data to support forecasting, policy formulation, and industry management tasks of the Ministry of Commerce;

d) Application for origin tracing activities on mobile devices.

2. The establishment, management, operation, and exploitation of the tracing system must comply with legal provisions regarding the management, connection, sharing of common digital data among state agencies; data security, cybersecurity; prevention of information abuse; protection of personal information, business secrets, and other relevant legal provisions.

Article 11. General Technical Requirements for Tracing System

1. Provision and updating of origin tracing information to the tracing system are carried out using forms and electronic documents.

2. The tracing system operates based on technical specifications regarding data structure, format, message packaging, common data connection, and sharing established and published by the Ministry of Commerce.

3. The tracing system must strictly adhere to technical standards concerning backup mechanisms, disaster recovery to ensure stable and continuous operation of the system.

4. The tracing system must ensure management, access control, and data exploitation according to roles for each level, entity, specifically as follows:

a) Central level including the Ministry of Commerce and its subordinate units with functions and tasks assigned have full access rights to manage the entire system; delegate authority to other entities based on their authority;

b) Local level including people's committees at all levels and their subordinate units with functions and tasks assigned have access rights to data generated within their jurisdiction, exploit reports for management purposes;

c) Food production and business entities have the right to provide, update, manage, and exploit relevant data related to foodstuffs in their tracing events;

d) Consumers and other organizations or individuals have the right to free access to basic information about foodstuffs on the Tracing Portal or origin tracing application as stipulated in paragraph 1 of Article 9 of this Circular.

5. The tracing system must ensure compatibility, scalability, readiness for data connection and sharing according to the provisions in Article 14 of this Circular.

Article 12. Origin Tracing Code

1. Food production and import entities provide basic information as stipulated in paragraph 1 and points a, b, c, d, e, f, g of paragraph 2 of Article 5 of this Circular on the tracing portal.

2. Food production and business entities update all relevant new information to the tracing system within a maximum period of 24 hours from the occurrence of the origin tracing event as stipulated in Article 5 of this Circular.

3. After each tracing event, new food information is updated and encoded through professional applications of the tracing system.

4. The origin tracing code does not replace product labels or goods according to legal provisions and must meet the following requirements:

a) Ensure data integrity, verifiability, and independent traceability as per technical requirements of the database. The origin tracing code must comply with national standards and technical transmission, reception requirements for data by competent authorities;

b) Use of the origin tracing code must ensure identifiability, connectivity, synchronization with the business food data system and the tracing system;

c) Use of the origin tracing code for products must ensure safety, preventing forgery, copying, or misuse.

5. The Minister of Commerce shall issue a list of food products applying appropriate origin tracing methods based on the characteristics of each group and type of product.

Article 13. Data Carrying Object Containing Source Origin Tracking Code

1. A data carrying object containing a source origin tracking code is an information coding medium or a path to the product data (barcodes, QR codes, Datamatrix, RFID, NFC and other suitable methods). The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall take the lead in coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to design and issue templates for data carrying objects ensuring uniformity according to legal provisions on data carrying objects.

2. A data carrying object containing a source origin tracking code may be affixed, printed, attached, cast, engraved directly or by other suitable methods onto the food product, within its commercial packaging, or on another material attached to the food product, ensuring that the device can read the encoded data.

3. Food production and business establishments shall decide independently whether to use a data carrying object containing a source origin tracking code that is connected and activated with the Tracking System. It is encouraged for food production and business establishments to use advanced data carrying objects (RFID, NFC, etc.) to enhance the transparency and efficiency of the Tracking System.

4. Data carrying object manufacturers must ensure supply of data carrying objects according to templates designed and issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and report continuously the quantity supplied to food production and business establishments through the Tracking Information Portal.

5. The Tracking System shall confirm and activate a data carrying object containing a source origin tracking code to ensure that information is accurately displayed on reading devices or in the origin tracing application when consumers or other organizations or individuals scan the source origin tracking code for access to required information as provided in Clause 1 of Article 9 of this Circular.

6. Food production and business establishments shall use data carrying objects according to a schedule specified in Article 15 of this Circular.

Article 14. Interdepartmental Data Connection and Sharing

1. The Tracking System is designed to connect, share, and interlink data with domestic and international databases, national platforms for identification, authentication, origin tracing of products and goods, and local food safety management systems including the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and other relevant ministries and agencies ensuring synchronization, uniformity, and avoiding duplication.

2. Interdepartmental data connection and sharing shall be carried out in accordance with the following principles:

a) Bi-directional data synchronization where the Tracking System provides data for specialized management while simultaneously receiving necessary data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant ministries, agencies;

b) Compliance with laws on information security, cybersecurity, data protection, and jurisdiction according to sector, field, or region;

c) Data already reported is reused for different national administrative purposes under the principle of "one-time reporting, multiple uses."

3. Interdepartmental data connection and sharing shall be carried out based on legal provisions, cooperative agreements, and technical capabilities of relevant parties to ensure effective government management work.

Article 15. Timeline for Connecting Information to the Traceability System

The connection and provision of traceability information from food production and business establishments to the traceability system shall be carried out according to the following timeline:

1. Food production establishments must connect and provide traceability information to the traceability system as of December 1, 2026, except for small-scale food production and business establishments.

2. Food import establishments must connect and provide traceability information to the traceability system from March 1, 2027, except for small-scale food business establishments.

3. Encouragement is given to other food production and business establishments to connect and provide traceability information to the traceability system.

Article 16. Support for Implementing Food Origin Traceability

Food production and business establishments that implement connection, data sharing, and provision of traceability information to the traceability system shall be supported as follows:

1. Technical support in terms of technology solutions:

a) Provide technical assistance and guidance on connecting data to the traceability system for food production and business establishments that have established and operated their own origin traceability systems from October 1, 2026;

b) Offer comprehensive electronic invoicing solution support, including transmission of invoices and tax reconciliation for food production and business establishments upon request.

2. Training and advisory support:

a) Provide training and workshops on regulations and usage of the traceability system for food production and business establishments;

b) Establish and maintain regular channels for technical support (hotline, online support groups, local support points) to address and resolve issues during implementation.

3. Promotion and publicity support:

a) Prioritize food production and business establishments that comply with traceability regulations in the review process for participation in government and local quality certification programs;

b) Prioritize support for promoting the application of origin traceability through mass media and the Ministry of Industry and Trade's official website.

Article 17. Funding Sources

1. The funding sources for conducting research, construction, and operation of the traceability system include:

a) National budget funds for science and technology, information technology application, digital transformation;

b) Socialized resources according to Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 by the Politburo on breakthroughs in scientific, technological development, innovation, and national digital transformation; Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW dated May 4, 2025 by the Politburo on private economic development;

c) Other legal sources of funds as stipulated by law.

2. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is the investor responsible for conducting research, construction, and operation of the traceability system in accordance with Article 10 Clause 1 of this Circular, including technical infrastructure.

Chapter IV
RESPONSIBILITIES OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS

Article 18. Responsibilities of Food Production and Business Establishments

1. Ensure sufficient resources (human, financial, technological) to effectively implement food origin traceability activities. Adhere to the timeline set by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for food origin traceability.

2. Establish and maintain a database of food products for traceability purposes, storing and updating complete information about food products, their origins, raw materials, production processes, processing, and business operations in accordance with Article 5 of this Circular.

3. Bear legal responsibility for the timeliness, legality, truthfulness, and accuracy of provided data on the traceability information portal; cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Industrial Administration Department) and relevant units to ensure the maintenance of data on the traceability system.

4. Provide necessary, complete, valid, and timely documents when requested by government management agencies. Strictly comply with requests for traceability, decisions to recall or handle products from competent state authorities and bear all related costs associated with these activities.

5. Use data carriers containing the food origin traceability code issued to affix or integrate onto products or product packaging for food origin traceability activities.

Article 19. Responsibilities of Units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade

1. Industrial Administration Department:

a) Draft and amend legal documents concerning the traceability of food origin within the scope of management by the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

b) Take the lead, coordinate with relevant units to develop the Traceability System and manage, operate, and utilize the database of the Traceability System;

c) Take the lead, coordinate with relevant units to organize, guide the application, promote, train, and implement activities related to food origin traceability as stipulated in this Circular;

d) Compile, report on the implementation status, results, difficulties, and obstacles (if any) during the implementation of this Circular.

2. Units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade within their scope of management and assigned functions shall cooperate with the Industrial Administration Department to implement this Circular.

Article 20. Responsibilities of People's Committees of Provinces and Municipalities

1. Organize the implementation of this Circular and related guiding documents at the local level; coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Industrial Administration Department) and relevant units to guide the application, promote, train, and implement activities related to food origin traceability at the local level; support food production and business establishments and other relevant organizations and individuals in implementing food origin traceability at the local level.

2. Periodically before December 25th of each year or upon request, People's Committees of provinces and municipalities shall compile, report on the inspection, supervision results of compliance with food origin traceability regulations; difficulties, obstacles, and suggestions (if any) in implementing this Circular according to the Form attached to this Circular, sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Industrial Administration Department).

Chapter V
IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

Article 21. Transitional Provisions

1. Food production and business establishments that have established and operated a traceability system before the effective date of this Circular may continue to apply it and must ensure connectivity, information provision in accordance with Point 15 of this Circular.

2. Products produced or imported and placed on the market prior to the time specified in Point 15 of this Circular are not required to comply with Points 13 and 5 of Article 18 of this Circular.

3. During implementation, if legal documents cited in this Circular are amended, supplemented, or replaced, they shall be applied according to the new documents.

Article 22. Provisions for Implementation

1. This Circular takes effect from April 16, 2026.

2. During the implementation of this Circular, if any difficulties or obstacles arise, the Minister of Industry and Trade shall provide guidance on specific cases or amend, supplement this Circular as necessary.

APPENDIX 1

TEMPLATE FOR REPORTING FOOD ORIGIN TRACEABILITY AND HANDLING UNSAFE FOOD PRODUCTS

(Accompanying Circular No. 11/2026/TT-BCT dated February 27, 2026

of the Minister of Industry and Trade)

To: …(Name of receiving organization/unit) …

Organization/person reports on the traceability of food products that do not meet safety standards as follows:

1. Product information:

- Product name:

- Packaging specification: (weight or volume)

- Batch number:

- Production date and/or expiration date:

- Reason for tracing origin:

2. Quantity of unsafe food products:

- Produced quantity (or imported):

- Consumed quantity:

- Recovered quantity:

- Unrecovered quantity:

3. List of names and addresses of locations where unsafe products are stored:

4. Form of handling unsafe food products:

We hereby commit to the legal responsibility for the content reported above.

APPENDIX 2

TEMPLATE FOR REPORTING IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF FOOD ORIGIN TRACEABILITY ACTIVITIES
(Accompanying Circular No. 11/2026/TT-BCT dated February 27, 2026

of the Minister of Industry and Trade)

 

REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF FOOD ORIGIN TRACEABILITY ACTIVITIES

To: Ministry of Industry and Trade

In accordance with Circular No. …/2026/TT-BCT dated month year 2026 by the Minister of Industry and Trade on food origin traceability, ...Name of provincial people's committee... reports on the implementation status of food origin traceability activities in the province as follows:

1. Activities related to drafting and issuing documents concerning food origin traceability within authority:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

2. Activities related to promotion, guidance, training:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3. Implementation status of projects, programs, plans:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

4. Supervision and inspection status regarding food product traceability:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

5. Status of other relevant activities implementation:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

6. Evaluation of advantages, difficulties, causes:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

7. Suggestions and recommendations:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

...Name of provincial people's committee... reports on the implementation status of food origin traceability activities in the province for the Ministry of Industry and Trade to compile and report as required./.