Businesses say that regulations on adding micronutrients to ingredients used in food processing limit consumers' choices - Photo: QUANG DINH
On the afternoon of July 15, the food industry business community in Ho Chi Minh City continued to contribute comments to the draft amendment to Decree No. 09/2016/ND-CP (Decree 09) of the Ministry of Health on fortifying micronutrients in raw materials used in food processing.
Hopefully this is the last petition.
Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam - Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers - said he hopes this is the last time the business community makes a petition on this issue. Because over the past 8 years, they have had many opinions about the shortcomings of Decree 09, but they have not been thoroughly resolved.
Specifically, the most inappropriate regulation is the requirement that "salt used for direct consumption or in food processing must be fortified with iodine, and flour used in food processing must be fortified with iron and zinc", which has caused many problems since its drafting but has not been listened to.
According to businesses, these two regulations are not consistent with science and risk management, are not consistent with international practice and experience, and cause great difficulties for production and business.
Not only that, the regulation only focuses on the benefits of micronutrient supplementation for deficient people, without taking into account the health risks for people who have sufficient or excess micronutrients when mass supplementation is required.
Mr. Dang Thanh Tai - Vice President of Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Production Association - said that Decree 09 stipulates that salt used in food processing must be supplemented with iodine, but anchovies themselves already have a natural iodine content. Regarding the production process, Phu Quoc fish sauce is characterized by being fermented in wooden barrels, a completely natural traditional method, and in 2012, it was granted geographical indication protection by the EU.
"With the fish sauce production process protected in Europe, Phu Quoc fish sauce cannot add iodine according to Decree 09," Mr. Tai stated the impossibility of the regulation that the Ministry of Health is seeking opinions on.
Exports are also affected.
Food industry businesses have faced many difficulties for nearly 8 years because regulations have not been removed - Photo: N.BINH
Even in the instant noodle production sector, businesses in this industry also said that adding iodine to industrial foods is ineffective, because iodine is almost completely lost during processing.
Test results for Acecook Company's instant noodles, Vissan Company's spring rolls and stewed pork, and Nam Phuong VN Company's seasoning sauce with added iodized salt all failed to detect iodine in the final product.
Mr. Pham Trung Thanh - Head of External Relations of Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company - calculated the cost incurred in avoiding cross-contamination between micronutrient-fortified raw materials used for the production of domestic and export consumer products... thereby losing an additional 13.5 billion VND/year.
In addition, export activities are also affected because many markets such as Japan, Australia... do not allow the use of iodine in food.
Mr. Nguyen Phuc Khoa - Chairman of the Board of Directors of VISSAN - also affirmed that the regulation on adding micronutrients brings unclear benefits to consumers. However, this regulation increases the costs and prices of enterprises' products, reducing the competitiveness of products in domestic and foreign markets.
In response to the opinions of businesses, Ms. Ly Kim Chi - President of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Foodstuff Association - said that she will continue to recommend that the Government only encourage the addition of iodine to salt and iron and zinc to flour used in industrial food processing.
Enterprises themselves will find suitable production directions to incorporate friendly micronutrients into products, ensure quality and fulfill social responsibilities.
8 years of petitioning still not heard
January 29, 2016: The Government issued Decree No. 09/2016/ND-CP (Decree 09), regulating the fortification of micronutrients in food.
2017: Food industry businesses began to reflect difficulties and petition the Government to amend the above regulations because they affect both exports and domestic consumption.
May 15, 2018: The Government issued Resolution No. 19-2018/NQ-CP (Resolution 19), requesting the Ministry of Health to study and amend Decree 09 to abolish the regulation on iodine fortification in salt and iron and zinc in wheat flour. Instead, only encourage food processing enterprises to use it.
November 2021: Decree 09 has no amendments, 5 industry associations jointly assessed the current situation and impact results after 5 years of implementing the provisions of Decree 09 and continued to recommend the implementation of Resolution 19.
From March 2023 to January 2024: The Government Office issued two documents conveying the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, requesting the Ministry of Health to preside over and coordinate with ministries to urgently study, amend and supplement Decree 09 and submit it to the Government in the third quarter of 2024.
July 15: 5 associations held a workshop "Comments on the policy of fortifying micronutrients in raw materials used in food processing", continuing to recommend removing the regulation of iodine supplementation for salt used in food processing and removing iron and zinc fortification for wheat flour used in food processing.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nuoc-mam-truyen-thong-mi-an-lien-lao-dao-vi-quy-dinh-da-kien-nghi-8-nam-20240715194106664.htm
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