HCM City establishes country's first food safety department
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council has officially approved the establishment of a Department of Food Safety in the city, the first such provincial-level agency in the country.
The council passed a resolution on the matter during its 11th meeting, which opened on September 19.
The department will operate under the management of the municipal People’s Committee and follow professional directions and instructions from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The establishment of the department is an upgrade of the six-year pilot operation of the municipal Food Safety Management Board.
The move is also in line with the National Assembly’s Resolution 98/2023/QH 15 on special mechanisms and policies for the city’s development.
With a population of over 10 million people, the demand for food in HCM City is huge, making it a hub for the circulation of a large volume of locally-produced and imported food products, hence the need for the Department of Food Safety.
The municipal Food Safety Management Board has been operating on a trial basis for over six years since December 2016.
