WHAT IS REQUIRED TO BE REGISTERED FOR FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE?

Registration for food safety and hygiene enables food production, trading, and processing establishments to comply with legal regulations, ensuring that products supplied to consumers consistently meet safety and quality standards. Except for ten (10) cases exempt from the requirement of a Food Safety Certificate as stipulated in Article 12 of Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP, all food production and trading establishments are required to obtain a Food Safety Certificate prior to commencing operations.

1. SUBJECTS REQUIRED TO REGISTER FOR FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE

Specific examples of cases required to obtain a Food Safety Certificate include:

• Establishments engaged in the production and processing of cereals;

• Establishments engaged in the processing of vegetables, fruits, meat and meat products, eggs, fresh milk, and related products;

• Establishments engaged in the production and trading of alcoholic beverages, beer, and soft drinks;

• Food trading establishments and food service providers, such as food stalls, restaurants, etc.;

• Canteens, catering facilities, and kitchens that are registered for food business activities.

2. CONDITIONS FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE CERTIFICATE

In order to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety, the establishment must carry out the procedures for obtaining a Business Registration Certificate. Accordingly, the establishment must be registered as an enterprise or a household business with registered business lines relating to food production and trading. In addition, the establishment must satisfy the following conditions:

General conditions on food safety and hygiene

➨ Food safety conditions applicable to food production and trading establishments:

• The location for food production and trading must have an appropriate area and ensure a safe distance from sources of pollution, toxic sources, and other harmful factors;

• The water source used in food production, processing, and trading must meet applicable standards;

• The establishment must be fully equipped with necessary equipment serving the handling of raw materials, food processing, packaging, preservation, and transportation of food products;

• There must be sufficient equipment, tools, and facilities for washing, disinfection, provision of disinfectant water during production and processing, and prevention of insects and harmful animals;

• A wastewater and waste treatment system must be in place and operated regularly in accordance with regulations;

• Food safety conditions must be maintained, and records and documents must be retained, including documents on the origin and traceability of raw materials and documents related to the food production and trading process;

• Compliance with regulations on health, knowledge, and practices applicable to persons directly engaged in food production and trading must be ensured.

➨ Food safety conditions in food preservation:

• Food storage locations and storage facilities must have sufficient space, ensure hygiene, allow separate storage of different types of food, and enable safe and accurate loading and unloading;

• Food storage areas must be well-ventilated, dry, equipped with ventilation systems, and capable of preventing the effects of humidity, temperature, insects, and harmful animals;

• Compliance with food preservation regulations of food production and trading establishments must be ensured.

➨ Food safety conditions in food transportation:

• Means of food transportation must be made from materials that do not contaminate food or food packaging and are easy to clean;

• Conditions for food preservation must be maintained throughout the transportation process in accordance with the instructions and requirements of food production and trading establishments;

• Food must not be transported on the same vehicle with toxic or hazardous goods, nor transported together with food products that may cause cross-contamination affecting food quality.

In addition to the above conditions, depending on actual business activities, food production and trading establishments must also satisfy other specific food safety and hygiene conditions, such as:

• Food safety conditions specifically applicable to the production of fresh food;

• Food safety conditions specifically applicable to fresh food trading establishments;

• Food safety conditions specifically applicable to establishments engaged in preliminary processing, processing, and trading of processed food;

• Food safety conditions specifically applicable to food service business establishments.

3. DOSSIER FOR APPLICATION FOR A FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE CERTIFICATE

Ensuring food safety is a key factor in protecting public health and maintaining quality of life. To achieve this, agencies, organizations, and household businesses must comply with strict regulations on food safety and hygiene. Applying for a Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety is an important step in this process. Pursuant to Article 36 of the Consolidated Document of the Law on Food Safety 2018, the application dossier for the issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety includes:

• An application form for the issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety;

• A copy of the Business Registration Certificate;

• An explanatory statement on facilities, equipment, and utensils ensuring compliance with food safety and hygiene conditions in accordance with the regulations of the competent state management authority;

• A health certificate of the establishment owner and persons directly engaged in food production and trading, issued by a district-level or higher medical establishment;

• A certificate of completion of training in food safety and hygiene knowledge of the establishment owner and persons directly engaged in food production and trading, in accordance with the regulations of the Minister of the relevant line ministry.

(+) Note: It must be ensured that the household business registration certificate includes registered business lines related to food production and trading.

4. PROCEDURES FOR APPLYING FOR A FOOD SAFETY AND HYGIENE CERTIFICATE

To ensure compliance with food safety regulations, agencies, organizations, and household businesses shall proceed in accordance with the following steps:

➤ Step 1: Preparation of one (01) application dossier for a Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate for household businesses

The dossier must fully satisfy the conditions and requirements prescribed for an application for the Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety.

➤ Step 2: Submission of the dossier to the competent state authority

The next step in the procedure for obtaining a Food Safety Certificate is to submit the prepared dossier to the competent state authority responsible for issuing the Food Safety Certificate.

Depending on the type of business operation, service, and specific products of the household business, the applicant may submit the dossier to one (01) of the following authorities: the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, or the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

➤ Step 3: Processing of the dossier and receipt of results

After receiving a complete and valid dossier for the Food Safety Certificate, within approximately fifteen (15) working days, the competent state authority shall conduct an on-site inspection of food safety and hygiene conditions at the production and/or business establishment. Based on the inspection results, the licensing authority shall issue the following outcomes:

• Grant the Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate to the household business (if the inspection results indicate that the establishment satisfies food safety and hygiene requirements);

• Issue a written notice of refusal to grant the Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate to the household business, clearly stating the reasons (if the inspection results indicate that the establishment fails to meet food safety and hygiene requirements).

(+) Notes:

The competent authority shall conduct an additional on-site inspection of food safety and hygiene conditions at the establishment after the issuance of the certificate. In the event that violations of regulations on food production, processing, trading, or food service activities are detected, the issued certificate shall be revoked.

The validity period of the Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate is three (03) years. If the household business wishes to continue operations after the certificate expires, it must carry out procedures for re-issuance of the Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate within six (06) months prior to the expiration date in order to avoid administrative penalties.

5. VALIDITY PERIOD

The Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety serves as evidence that a food production or trading establishment has fully complied with regulations on food safety and hygiene. However, in order to ensure that hygiene standards are continuously maintained, this Certificate does not have permanent validity. Pursuant to Article 37 of the Law on Food Safety 2010, the validity period of the Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety is prescribed as follows:

• The Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety shall be valid for a period of three (03) years.

• Within six (06) months prior to the expiration date of the Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety, organizations and individuals engaged in food production and trading shall submit an application dossier for re-issuance of the Certificate if they wish to continue production and business activities. The dossier, order, and procedures for re-issuance shall be carried out in accordance with Article 36 of this Law.

Accordingly, the Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety is valid for a term of three (03) years.

Therefore, within six (06) months prior to the expiration date of the Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety, the applicant must carry out procedures for re-issuance of the Certificate.