According to DG-SANTE experts, the condition to ensure food safety is that animal product ingredients in synthetic products must come from EU-approved facilities.

On the morning of May 7, the General Directorate of Health and Food Safety, European Commission (DG-SANTE) coordinated with the Notification Office and National Inquiry Point on sanitary epidemiology and animal and plant quarantine in Vietnam ( SPS Vietnam) organized a conference to disseminate regulations on importing agricultural products and foods of plant and animal origin into the EU market.

Recently, the EU has introduced a number of separate requirements for imported composite products. According to Ms. Coulon Sylvie, Senior Expert of DG-SANTE, with this regulation, the regulation on the percentage of animals in processed products will no longer be valid. New regulations are stricter to better protect consumers.

To comply well with regulations, Ms. Coulon Sylvie believes that businesses must correctly understand what synthetic products are. Synthetic products are foods that contain products of plant origin and processed products of animal origin.

Thus, animal products are unprocessed; Products without plant ingredients or products with plant ingredients that do not change the characteristics of products of animal origin will not be synthetic products, Ms. Coulon Sylvie noted.

Emphasizing the regulations on importing synthetic products, Ms. Coulon Sylvie noted that the condition to ensure food safety is that animal product ingredients in synthetic products must come from EU-approved facilities; and located in countries authorized to export processed products of animal origin to the EU.

Ms. Coulon Sylvie said that the agency that promulgates this regulation will have a handbook to answer questions about synthetic products. Ms. Coulon Sylvie also emphasized that if Vietnamese businesses want to export synthetic products to the EU, they can email her directly. Thereby, she can answer specific questions for businesses as well as predict difficulties businesses may encounter, thereby minimizing risks for businesses when exporting to the EU.

At the conference, DG-SANTE introduced in detail relevant regulations on hygiene and food safety for synthetic products and products of non-animal origin; rules of origin, as well as a residue monitoring plan on synthetic products and products of non-animal origin. Accompanied by quarantine measures, based on international practices issued by the WTO.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Le Thanh Hoa, Director of SPS Vietnam Office, said that the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has been in effect for nearly 4 years, but there are still shortcomings, difficult even though both sides have positive information to promote agricultural and food trade between the two sides. Especially difficulties regarding food safety regulations as well as other regulations such as: environment and sustainable development.

Mr. Le Thanh Hoa hopes that the EU will continue to support the Vietnam SPS Office to update information and regulations related to food safety to businesses when exporting products to the EU; At the same time, strengthen the capacity of Vietnam's food safety control system as well as animal and plant quarantine network.

In 2023, Vietnam's agricultural, forestry and fishery export turnover to the European market will reach about 5.3 billion USD. This is Vietnam's third largest market, after the United States and China./.

Source: Vietnamplus Newspaper