Vietnam has launched a new handbook to help food and beverage companies in the country use its newly-enforced online food safety system platform.
The Vietnamese government formally launched its digital food safety system last year, a major effort that was created in partnership with the South Korean government in hopes of tackling food safety management, and in particular food poisoning outbreak monitoring, across the country.
Enforcement under this system formally commenced on February 18 2025, and the government recently also published a new 33-page handbook with step-by-step instructions for usage, to facilitate smoother implementation and assist food companies.
“From February 18 2025, the Department of Food Safety has implemented that the application and responses regarding food safety matters will be conducted online, via the Ministry of Healths Administrative Procedures Information System,” Do Huu Tuan, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA), housed within the Ministry of Health, said via a formal statement.
“This is in order to improve management efficiency and facilitate all the relevant organisations and officials in the implementing administrative procedures related to food safety.
“Procedures and applications including the issuance of food safety certificates, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) eligibility certificates, Certificate of Free Sale (CFS) issuances, new food additive declarations, health food declarations and advertising content, and so on.”
“All the relevant information must be provided via the website, and all required documents must also be submitted in the system.”
The website of the online food safety system platform can be found here, and the handbook can be accessed here.
Online and offline
The online system was launched in addition to a new national food safety centre in the country which was inaugurated at the end of last year, dubbed the Vietnam Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment (VFSA).
The VFSA is expected to play more of a risk assessment and scientific advisory role, with the goal of guiding resource development as well as food standards and regulations formulation further down the line; whereas the online system is in place for immediate practical utilisation for food firms and governing bodies.
“Vietnam’s diverse food supply poses multiple variants of food safety risks, which has made it necessary to [implement various measures, including the establishment of] a specialised centre for food safety risk assessment,” Ministry of Health Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen said.
“We need to establish food safety regulations that are suitable for Vietnamese consumers, but also in harmony with international standards, which can be the basis for better food quality and safety control.
“This is the only way to establish a [strong foundation so that] we can also increase consumer confidence in domestically produced food and beverage products.”
