The 2010 Food Safety Law is no longer suitable for the requirements of building and perfecting the legal system on food safety as well as current socio-economic conditions.
The 2010 Food Safety Law is no longer suitable for the requirements of building and perfecting the legal system on food safety as well as current socio-economic conditions.
Food is a global health concern
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), every day globally, more than 1.6 million people suffer from diseases related to unsafe food, and about 420,000 people die each year from eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxic chemicals.
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| Major food safety concerns include bacteria, viruses and parasites. These are the main agents that cause intestinal infections, diarrhea, food poisoning and a number of other dangerous diseases. |
These diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancer, place a heavy burden on national health systems and economies. Food safety is therefore not only a national issue but also a global concern, linked to public health, the environment and sustainable development.
Food safety is a key factor in protecting consumer health. Consuming contaminated food can lead to a range of health problems, increase the medical burden, affect labor productivity and even cause serious economic damage.
Illnesses linked to unsafe food strain health care systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. These countries lose an estimated $95 billion each year due to foodborne illness.
Unsafe food also causes environmental, social and trade problems. Food quality violations not only affect consumers but also strain international trade relations, especially when contaminated products are exported to other countries.
For example, the use of melamine in food in China caused a serious scandal, affecting the reputation of the global food industry.
Ensuring food safety on a global scale is fraught with difficulties due to the complexity of the food supply chain.
Food is not only produced in a country but also goes through many stages of processing, transportation and storage before reaching the consumer. Each step in this chain can potentially cause food contamination or poisoning.
Major food safety concerns include bacteria, viruses and parasites. These are the main agents that cause intestinal infections, diarrhea, food poisoning and a number of other dangerous diseases.
The use of pesticides, preservatives or chemicals in food processing, if not strictly controlled, can be dangerous to consumers' health.
In addition, additives and genetically modified foods, although helping to prolong food preservation time and increase production productivity, if used improperly can cause long-term effects on health.
In addition, controlling processed foods, small-scale foods and production facilities without food safety certificates is a major challenge. These facilities may not fully comply with hygiene regulations, thereby increasing the risk of food contamination.
To deal with the above problems, the development and enforcement of legal regulations on food safety becomes extremely important.
International agencies such as the WHO and FAO have called on countries to improve and establish international food safety standards. This not only helps protect consumer health but also promotes trade and sustainable development.
Issues that need to be adjusted in the Food Safety Law
Statistics from ministries and People's Committees of 63 provinces and cities show that from 2011 to present, Vietnam's food safety legal system has had over 250 legal documents issued by central agencies.
However, up to now, the 2010 Food Safety Law is no longer suitable for the requirements of building and perfecting the legal system on food safety as well as current socio-economic conditions.
Regarding the shortcomings of the current Food Safety Law, according to Ms. Tran Viet Nga, Director of the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health, some regulations on granting certificates of conformity for food products are not suitable for reality, especially for small-scale producers.
Although small-scale production, these households provide a large amount of food for society. If this group is not managed carefully, it will lead to the risk of food poisoning and food-borne diseases.
There is a lack of management regulations, such as regulations on food safety indicators for foods of plant origin, regulations on decentralization in food poisoning investigations and regulations on revocation of Certificates of Conformity Declaration.
Some regulations guiding the Food Safety Law are not consistent and difficult to implement, especially in the management of food production and trading establishments that are not required to be granted a certificate of food safety eligibility.
Some concepts such as “food production” and “food business” are not consistent between the 2020 Enterprise Law and the Food Safety Law, causing difficulties in law enforcement.
The revised Law on Food Safety will address current shortcomings, such as adjusting regulations that are not suitable to reality, ensuring publicity, transparency and feasibility in the law-making process.
It is expected that the revised contents will help Vietnam implement international commitments, especially commitments in free trade agreements such as CPTPP, EVFTA, RCEP, and ASEAN.
The amendment of the Law also aims to perfect the synchronous legal system, create a favorable environment for production and business, while ensuring macroeconomic stability, developing the digital economy and enhancing national competitiveness.
The provisions of the Law must be consistent with the Trade Agreements that Vietnam has signed and participated in, especially the standards on food hygiene and safety.
At the same time, improve the efficiency of management and conformity assessment, and eliminate overlapping regulations in legal documents.
According to the Director of the Department of Food Safety, amending and supplementing the Law on Food Safety is necessary to meet new requirements of practice and international integration, while overcoming the limitations of the current Law, contributing to protecting public health and sustainable economic development.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/can-thiet-sua-doi-luat-an-toan-thuc-pham-d238316.html
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