Decision No. 20/QD-TTg Approves the National Food Safety Strategy for the period 2011-2020 and vision to 2030

Pursuant to …;

Approving the National Food Safety Strategy for the period 2011-2020 and Vision 2030

_______________________________

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

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

Pursuant to Resolution No. 34/2009/QH12 dated June 19, 2009 of the XIIth National Assembly on intensifying the implementation of policies and laws regarding quality management and food safety;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Health,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approving the National Food Safety Strategy for the period 2011-2020 and Vision 2030 with the following main contents:

1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

a) Ensuring food safety is ensuring consumer rights and public health, a constant task that requires focused leadership from all levels of party committees and governments, and is the responsibility and benefit of organizations and individuals involved in food production and trade, as well as every citizen.

b) Implementing in a coordinated manner all legal provisions on food safety, focusing on inspection and supervision work, and promoting the application of advanced measures in food safety management.

c) Strengthening information and communication activities to create profound changes in the understanding of producers, consumers, and society at large about maintaining hygiene and ensuring food safety.

2. Objectives of the Strategy

a) General objectives.

- By 2015: Comprehensive food safety plans from production to consumption are implemented based on a robust and effective management system, significantly impacting and comprehensively improving food safety conditions in the country.

- By 2020: In principle, food safety control throughout the entire food supply chain is established and effectively operational, proactively protecting consumer health and rights, meeting national requirements for economic development and international integration.

b) Specific objectives.

- Objective 1: Enhance knowledge and practice of food safety among target groups.

Requirement:

+ By 2015: 70% of food producers, processors, and traders, 80% of managers (including leaders of relevant ministries and agencies; leaders of provincial people's committees at all levels; leaders of specialized departments such as Health, Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade; leaders of food production, processing, and trading enterprises), and 70% of consumers have correct knowledge and practices regarding food safety.

+ By 2020: 95% of food producers, processors, and traders, 100% of managers, and 80% of consumers have correct knowledge and practices regarding food safety.

- Objective 2: Strengthen the capacity of the food safety management system.

Requirement:

+ By 2015: 100% of centrally governed provinces and cities complete their food safety management systems; all centrally governed cities, six northern border provinces, and provinces with a population of two million or more have laboratories certified to ISO 17025 standards; establish a rapid food safety warning system and conduct risk analysis for high-risk food safety issues in Vietnam.

+ By 2020: Provinces with a population of one million or more have laboratories certified to ISO 17025 standards.

- Objective 3: Significantly improve the food safety assurance status of food production and processing facilities.

Requirement:

+ By 2015: 100% of industrial-scale and centralized food production and processing facilities obtain certificates of compliance with food safety conditions; the proportion of centralized food production, storage, initial processing, and processing facilities applying quality assurance systems such as GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), ISO 9001, ISO 22000... reaches at least 30%, encouraging small-scale food production, storage, initial processing, and processing facilities to apply these systems.

+ By 2020: 100% of industrial-scale and centralized food production and processing facilities obtain certificates of compliance with food safety conditions; the proportion of centralized food production, storage, initial processing, and processing facilities applying quality assurance systems such as GMP, HACCP, ISO 9001, ISO 22000... reaches at least 80%; 70% of agricultural product processing facilities, 100% of industrial-scale aquatic food processing facilities apply quality management according to HACCP, GMP, GHP (Good Hygiene Practices), meeting technical standards for food safety; 80% of fish ports, fishing vessels with 90 horsepower or more, independent ice production facilities serving aquatic food processing, raw material procurement facilities, initial processing facilities for agriculture, forestry, and aquatic products meet food safety conditions and apply quality management programs such as GMP, SSOP (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures); 100% of provinces and centrally governed cities approve and implement planning and ensure infrastructure conditions for safe food production areas (focusing on vegetables, tea, meat, and domestic aquatic products); 100% of key concentrated aquaculture areas with significant production volumes for industrial processing; 80% of small-scale aquaculture areas are monitored for chemical residue levels; 60% of vegetable and tea production areas apply VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices).

- Objective 4: Significantly improve the food safety assurance status of food trading facilities.

Requirement:

+ By 2015: 40% of catering service facilities, 80% of collective kitchens obtain certificates of compliance with food safety conditions; 100% of supermarkets are under food safety control; 50% of markets are planned and controlled for food safety (excluding spontaneous markets).

+ By 2020: 80% of catering service facilities, 100% of collective kitchens obtain certificates of compliance with food safety conditions; 80% of markets are planned and controlled for food safety (excluding spontaneous markets).

- Objective 5: Effectively prevent acute food poisoning incidents.

Requirement:

+ By 2015: Reduce the number of acute food poisoning incidents involving 30 or more cases by 25% compared to the average for the period 2006-2010. The incidence rate of acute food poisoning recorded is below 8 cases per 100,000 people.

+ By 2020: Reduce the number of acute food poisoning incidents involving 30 or more cases by 30% compared to the average for the period 2006-2010. The incidence rate of acute food poisoning recorded is below 7 cases per 100,000 people.

c) Vision 2030.

By 2030, food safety management will be proactive and effective based on evidence, with chain control implemented; 100% of food producers, processors, traders, managers, and consumers have knowledge and practice food safety correctly; 100% of food production, processing, and trading establishments meet food safety conditions.

3. Main solutions to implement the Strategy

a) Group of solutions regarding guidance and administration.

- Strengthening the leadership of the Party and local authorities over food safety assurance work.

- Improving the system of regulatory legal documents on food safety.

- Enhancing the role of the Inter-ministerial Steering Committee for Food Safety at central and local levels, raising the role of the Working Group assisting the Steering Committee at local levels, organizing well inter-sectoral coordination activities, with the health sector taking the lead.

b) Group of technical solutions.

- Continuing to strongly and comprehensively implement information, education, and communication activities to change behavior regarding food safety; building and developing communication skills; increasing the quantity and quality of communication materials and messages about food safety.

- Enhancing the capacity of the state management system for food safety:

+ Completing the Food Safety Control Agency, Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Product Quality Management Agency in provinces and centrally-administered cities in terms of human resources, equipment, and infrastructure sufficient to manage food safety at local levels.

+ Enhancing the capacity of specialized food safety inspection agencies from central to local levels.

+ Consolidating and completing food safety inspection agencies; establishing an information exchange system among inspection agencies to coordinate in implementing state inspections on food safety.

+ Increasing the proportion of laboratories meeting ISO 17025 and GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) standards; focusing investment on infrastructure and equipment for central laboratories to play a role as food safety verification laboratories. Investing funds to upgrade some central and regional laboratories to meet regional and international standards.

+ Implementing decentralization alongside training, enhancing management capacity, professional expertise, and vocational skills for localities in managing food safety, meeting assigned tasks.

- Strengthening supervision, inspection, and handling of violations of food safety laws:

+ Strengthening inspection and strict control over the production and trade of plant protection chemicals and agricultural supplies, ensuring correct quality, type, dosage, and isolation period of agricultural supplies in crop cultivation, animal husbandry, storage, and food processing.

+ Regularly monitoring and inspecting residues of harmful chemicals in agricultural products, aquatic products, and food; strictly controlling slaughter and veterinary hygiene, aquatic product hygiene; inspecting compliance with food safety conditions throughout the entire production chain.

+ Preventing the sale of counterfeit, substandard, expired, mislabeled food products, illegally imported goods, and commercial fraud; food products violating food safety laws.

+ Strengthening supervision and inspection of catering service establishments, monitoring food safety risks.

- Establishing technical standards for food safety.

+ Developing national technical standards for food safety.

+ Establishing technical requirements to strictly control food safety for agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products before entering the market.

- Continuing to implement and expand nationwide advanced food safety management models:

+ Completing and applying good agricultural practices (VietGAP, VietGAHP - Vietnam's regulations on good livestock farming practices) and guidebooks for GAP, GAHP in vegetables, fruits, tea, and livestock farming.

+ Promoting certification activities, establishing regulations for VietGAP, VietGAHP certification checks; evaluating, designating, and supervising the activities of certification organizations, supporting VietGAP, GAHP certification.

+ Testing and expanding models of good agricultural practices in vegetable, fruit, tea, and livestock farming, aquaculture, linked with certification and quality standard announcements.

+ Popularizing and guiding food processing enterprises to consult and apply advanced food safety quality management systems (GMP, GHP, HACCP, ISO 22000).

- Enhancing capacity in preventing food poisoning and foodborne diseases:

+ Strengthening the capacity of the surveillance, recording, and prevention system for food poisoning and foodborne diseases.

+ Strictly checking compliance with food safety laws, especially food safety conditions of collective kitchens, ready-to-eat food supply establishments, restaurants, hotels, tourist areas, festivals, street food, markets, ports, schools, industrial zones, and export processing zones; clearly defining the responsibilities of units with catering service establishments, firmly not allowing establishments that do not meet legal conditions to produce, trade in food, or provide catering services; strictly punishing violations.

+ Strengthening certification of food safety conditions in food production and trade.

- Building a food safety risk warning and analysis system as a basis for evidence-based food safety management:

+ Forming a rapid warning and risk analysis system as a scientific basis for food safety management.

+ Actively and promptly handling urgent food safety incidents, proposing remedial measures.

+ Effectively cooperating with countries in the region and worldwide in sharing information and addressing food safety issues.

+ Closely coordinating with the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other international technical organizations on food safety.

c) Group of solutions regarding resources.

- Strengthening training and training on food safety:

+ Increase staffing for the dedicated team responsible for food safety at all levels, ensuring their capability to manage and oversee food safety activities nationwide.

+ Vigorously promote training at universities and research institutes with majors in food safety at college and university levels. Organize refresher courses for managers, inspectors, and food safety testing officers at all levels; gradually increase the proportion of staff with bachelor's and postgraduate degrees.

+ Train, develop, and attract human resources with specialized knowledge and skills to perform food safety management tasks.

+ Incorporate food safety education into general secondary school curricula.

- Strengthen scientific research: Research institutes and universities should focus on identifying, evaluating, and developing intervention measures to improve food safety conditions.

- Enhance international cooperation in the field of food safety:

+ Vigorously promote the signing of international treaties, bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field of food safety.

+ Expand international cooperation in scientific research, cadre training, information exchange, technology, standards, and food quality criteria.

+ Promote cooperative relations within the region and globally in addressing food safety issues.

+ Closely cooperate with neighboring countries, especially those sharing borders, to jointly address urgent common issues.

- Socialize food safety assurance work:

+ Enact policies, lists, and timelines for socializing activities in the field of food safety management; perfect mechanisms for managing, assessing, and recognizing entities implementing socialization in the field of food safety management.

+ Vigorously socialize certain technical service stages serving food safety management work; leverage the role of enterprises, social organizations, and mass organizations in participating in food safety assurance.

+ Develop and encourage individuals and organizations to invest, form joint ventures, partnerships, and transfer technology related to food safety testing and certification organizations.

+ Encourage establishments maintaining good food safety conditions while strictly applying inspection and supervision systems for non-compliant establishments.

- Increase financial investment for food safety assurance work. Socialize and diversify financial resources and gradually increase investment levels for food safety assurance work.

The investment budget for the National Strategy includes central government budgets, local government budgets, aid funds, and other lawful sources as stipulated by law.

4. Main Programs and Projects

a) National Target Program on Food Safety and Hygiene for the 2011-2015 period.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Health.

- Coordinating agencies: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance.

b) Project on Training Human Resources for Food Safety Assurance.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Health.

- Coordinating agencies: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Education and Training.

c) Project on Controlling Food Safety for Imported Goods.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Industry and Trade.

- Coordinating agencies: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

d) Project on Enhancing Food Safety Communication Activities until 2015.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Health.

- Coordinating agencies: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Information and Communications.

đ) Project on Enhancing Professional Inspection Capacity in Food Safety.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Health.

- Coordinating agencies: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Government Inspectorate.

e) Project on Ensuring Food Safety in Slaughtering and Transporting Livestock and Poultry.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

- Coordinating agencies: People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities.

g) Project on Safe Food Markets.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Industry and Trade.

- Coordinating agencies: Ministry of Health, People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities.

h) Project on Enhancing Market Management Forces' Inspection and Control Capabilities over Food Circulating in the Market.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Industry and Trade.

- Coordinating agencies: People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities.

i) Project on Building and Developing Safe Food Supply Chain Models Nationwide.

- Drafting agency: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

- Coordinating agencies: People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities.

Article 2. Implementation

1. The Ministry of Health

a) Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to organize and implement the contents of the National Food Safety Strategy for the 2011-2020 period and vision to 2030 within the scope of assigned tasks and authorities.

b) Monitor, supervise, and urge ministries, sectors, and localities to implement the Strategy.

c) Coordinate with relevant ministries, sectors, and people's committees at all levels to carry out food safety inspection and supervision work; urge ministries, sectors, and localities to fulfill their assigned responsibilities for food safety assurance.

d) Regularly organize periodic reviews, final summaries, and report to the Prime Minister on the results of the Strategy implementation.

2. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) Closely coordinate with the Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries and sectors in implementing solutions, programs, and projects under the Strategy within the scope of assigned tasks and authorities.

b) Direct the development of safe agricultural product production raw material areas; implement appropriate production processes for agricultural product producers.

c) Strengthen inspections and strict controls over food safety from production, processing, to marketing stages.

d) Closely coordinate with the Ministry of Health in tracing the origin of food when food poisoning occurs, and managing food contamination risks.

3. Ministry of Industry and Trade

a) Closely coordinate with the Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries and sectors in implementing solutions, programs, and projects under the Strategy within the scope of assigned tasks and authorities.

b) Direct the implementation and inspection of regulations ensuring food safety conditions at markets and supermarkets, particularly wholesale markets.

c) Inspect and control to prevent the sale of counterfeit, substandard, and smuggled food products.

4. Ministry of Science and Technology

Coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to review and promulgate regulations on certification, conformity declaration, and related provisions concerning food product quality, standards, and labeling; adopt policies to encourage and promote advanced scientific research and application in the field of food safety.

5. Ministry of Education and Training

a) Closely control the supply of food services in schools, build safe food kitchen models in schools linked to the movement of teaching well and learning well, and other movements of the education sector.

b) Coordinate with the Ministry of Health to organize propaganda and education on food safety in schools, mobilize teachers and students to actively participate in food safety work; develop a roadmap to incorporate food safety content into teaching materials at all levels of education.

6. The Ministry of Planning and Investment

Allocate funds for the activities of the Strategy according to the annual budget allocated by the National Assembly. Actively mobilize domestic and foreign financial resources to invest in food safety work.

7. The Ministry of Finance

Adequately allocate the budget for the implementation of the Strategy, programs, projects, plans, and master plans ensuring food safety. Inspect and supervise the use of funds; take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies to develop policies to promote socialization and encourage individuals and organizations to invest in the field of food safety.

8. The Ministry of Home Affairs

Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors, and direct localities to ensure staffing for the food safety management system, build and submit to the Government for approval the preferential regime for food safety officers.

9. The Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Defense according to their functions and assigned tasks

a) Advise on propaganda and education to raise awareness and implementation of food safety among ethnic minorities in areas where troops are stationed, remote and border areas, islands.

b) Direct public security forces, border guard forces to cooperate with customs forces and local authorities to control and prevent the smuggling of food through borders.

c) Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to detect, investigate, handle, and support the handling of violations of laws on food safety.

10. The Ministry of Information and Communications

a) Coordinate with the Ministry of Health and relevant ministries and sectors to organize information dissemination, propaganda, and the popularization of legal knowledge on food safety.

b) Direct news agencies, radio stations, television stations at all levels from central to commune level, mobile information teams, and village broadcasting systems to allocate appropriate airtime to disseminate knowledge, legal regulations, and food safety activities to the people.

11. Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency

Coordinate with media agencies, television stations, and radio stations at all levels to include food safety information as regular content in broadcast programs. Allocate airtime for programs on ensuring food safety, fixed columns, and special topics on food safety.

12. Propose the Vietnam Fatherland Front

Implement mobilization and educational campaigns to launch food safety movements linked to the campaign to build cultural villages and communes, aiming to promote the formation of safe production, processing, trading, and consumption behaviors of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products in the community.

13. Propose the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union

a) Take the lead in launching a nationwide women's movement to participate in food safety work.

b) Coordinate with competent ministries and sectors to organize training programs, information dissemination, and communication about food safety for women, especially housewives and female traders and producers of small-scale food businesses.

14. Propose the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union

a) Coordinate to organize training activities and guidance for members on safe food production, scientific processing and preservation methods, proper use of plant protection chemicals and animal feed, and fertilizers.

b) Take the lead in launching initiatives and good practices in food safety, actively combat unsafe food practices in communities and villages.

c) Coordinate with departments and sectors to disseminate and guide advanced technical solutions to ensure food safety in production, processing, trading, and preservation of food.

15. People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities

a) Directly lead, build plans, and organize the implementation of the National Food Safety Strategy for the period 2011-2020 and vision 2030.

b) Incorporate food safety criteria into local socio-economic development plans. Proactively invest budgetary funds, human resources, and infrastructure for food safety programs at the local level.

c) Direct, implement, and strictly monitor the enforcement of food safety laws, particularly conditions for food safety in collective kitchens, ready-to-eat food providers, restaurants, hotels, tourist areas, festivals, street food, markets, ports, schools, industrial zones, and export processing zones; clearly define the responsibilities of units operating food service establishments; resolutely not allow establishments that do not meet legal requirements to produce, trade in, or provide food services; strictly handle violations.

16. Implementation mechanism and coordination.

- The Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on Food Safety at the central level and inter-ministerial steering committees at local levels are responsible for directing the implementation of the National Food Safety Strategy for the period 2011-2020 and vision 2030.

- Based on common goals and solutions, ministries, sectors, localities, and social organizations shall develop projects, plans, and implement them based on their functions and tasks; report progress and results annually to the Ministry of Health for consolidation and reporting to the Prime Minister.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect from the date of issuance.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government agencies, heads of related organizations, Chairmen of provincial and centrally governed city People's Committees are responsible for implementing this Decision./.