The Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health has recently issued guidance to localities to unify the implementation of state food safety inspections for imported consignments, clarifying the use of certificates, dossier receipt, inspection channeling, and the handling of food safety alerts.

Based on feedback and recommendations from localities regarding imported food safety inspections under Circular No. 22/2026/TT-BNNMT, the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health released Official Dispatch No. 3529/CNTY-KD&TYCĐ. The document guides provincial and municipal Departments of Agriculture and Environment, the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department, and the Da Nang Department of Health in conducting inspection duties in accordance with statutory food safety regulations for imported foodstuffs, aiming to resolve operational bottlenecks emerging across localities.

Accordingly, for terrestrial animal and aquatic food products governed by Article 14 of Decree No. 15/2018/NĐ-CP, the Department noted that competent authorities of exporting countries generally issue a single Health Certificate/Sanitary Certificate per consignment. The original certificate is retained by the quarantine authority during import animal quarantine clearance. Therefore, for consignments subject to state food safety inspections, the food safety inspection agency shall accept a copy certified by the quarantine body for verification and reconciliation, without requiring organizations or individuals to re-submit the original.

In cases where Vietnam and the exporting country have agreed on the use of electronic certificates for animal and aquatic products exported to Vietnam, enterprises are permitted to use electronic certificates and are not required to provide physical hard copies.

While information systems dedicated to receiving and processing state food safety inspection procedures are being finalized, the Department requested local inspection authorities to organize receipt and processing on announced operational systems, ensuring that administrative intake and the release of results to organizations and individuals proceed without interruption.

Currently, the Department is coordinating with relevant units to complete data linkage and synchronization across systems, moving toward unified integration on the National Single Window portal to minimize multi-platform data entry for both businesses and regulatory agencies.

Regarding the standard inspection method, receiving authorities are prohibited from imposing supplemental conditions concerning corporate headquarters locations or administrative boundaries beyond statutory rules. For the tightened inspection method, given the requirements for physical examination and sampling, the Department requested localities to guide entities to complete procedures at inspection agencies corresponding to port-of-entry locations or goods storage sites.

During the initial phase of decentralization, localities are advised to designate inspection authorities located at the port of entry or goods storage site, particularly when consignments concurrently undergo animal and aquatic quarantine procedures, to facilitate coordinated dossier handling and on-site physical inspections.

The Department also emphasized that customs declarations do not constitute a mandatory component of state food safety inspection registration dossiers. Consequently, inspection authorities must not require organizations or individuals to submit customs declarations as a mandatory document, nor may they refuse dossier intake simply due to the absence of customs declaration information.

Where declaration numbers or HS codes are required to reconcile consignment details, inspection agencies may request entities to provide them once available, or retrieve them directly from linked, shared databases in accordance with regulations. Collecting this information must not generate supplemental dossier requirements or delay statutory processing timelines.

For terrestrial animal-origin and aquatic food products lacking HS codes, inspection bodies are advised to reference the product nomenclature under Circular No. 01/2014/TT-BNNPTNT dated February 2, 2024. If products emerge that are absent from the list, inspection agencies shall submit formal written requests to the Department to report to competent authorities for review.

Concurrently, for mixed consignments containing diverse food types falling under the regulatory oversight of multiple ministries, designating the responsible inspection body shall follow Paragraph 1, Article 15 of Decree No. 15/2018/NĐ-CP. For consignments containing multiple items that yield disparate inspection outcomes, inspection authorities must clearly specify compliant and non-compliant items in the Inspection Results Notice, explicitly stating the rationale for any failed products.

The Department stated that whenever warnings arise regarding food safety hazards, non-compliance with import criteria, or alerts issued by domestic authorities, exporting countries, manufacturers, or international organizations, the Department will coordinate updates and disseminate notices under established protocols.

Departments and designated state food safety inspection bodies are requested to proactively track alert notices on official channels of the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Health, and related agencies to serve as the baseline for inspections and dossier handling. Should alerts or suspicious indicators arise directly concerning specific production establishments, products, countries, territories, or consignments, local departments are advised to liaise with the Department to coordinate verification and handling within their authority.

The Department has also appointed operational focal points across its subordinate divisions to provide professional guidance during the rollout of Circular No. 22/2026/TT-BNNMT. Localities are urged to coordinate with these focal points to resolve arising difficulties. For issues of an inter-agency nature or exceeding local authority, inspection bodies should consolidate and consult with the Department to agree on unified handling solutions, ensuring regulatory compliance without disrupting commercial import operations for organizations and individuals.

Source: Tap chi Thuy san Viet Nam