Goods subject to food safety, quality inspection proposed to be cut

	The scheme of reforming quality inspection model will create very huge fiscal space for growth
	Consult ministries and sectors about new model of specialised inspection
	Introduce new model on quality and food safety inspection

Officers of the Customs Branch of North Thang Long Industrial Park inspect import-export goods. Photo: N.Linh

Expect new model

According to Bui Kim Thuy - a representative of the US - ASEAN Business Council (USABC), USABC representing 165 US groups operating in ASEAN and Vietnam highly appreciates the Government's policy in Point 8 of Resolution 99 / NQ-CP. In which, the Government has directed the Ministry of Finance to preside over the development of the project for specialised inspection with the customs agency as a head agency for specialised inspection at the border gates (except for goods related to security, defense, quarantine) and the specialised management ministries in charge of post-clearance inspection.

According to the evaluation of the Trade Facilitation project funded by USAID, reforms submitted to the Government by the Ministry of Finance will save resources and costs for businesses and the economy. In a year, businesses will save approximately US$37.8 million,reduce86,166 declarations subject to quality and food safety inspection and save more than 2.4 million days of inspection. These are positive signs but the implementation of those reforms requires the efforts of many related ministries, sectors, associations and agencies, Thuy said.

A representative of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) also said it is necessary to look at the overall benefits of the business community. Therefore, the seven reforms stated in the project are important and expected to be realised soon to facilitate businesses and people.

One of the seven reforms in the project is to synchronously apply three modes of inspection to reduce imported goods subject to inspection. Currently, tightened inspection, normal inspection and reduced inspection modes have been stipulated for in food safety (in the Law on Food Safety, Decree detailing the Law on Food Safety). For the field of quality, legal documents have not specified inspection modes but only stipulate the exemption or reduction of inspection.

Three inspection modesto cut goods subject to inspection

Inheriting good regulations and practices in food safety, the project proposes to synchronously apply three inspection modes for quality to reduce the number of import consignments subject to inspection. Specifically, Clause 2 Article 40 of the Law on Food Safety stipulates modes of food safety inspection: "Modes of state inspection of food safety for imported food, food additives, processing aids, food-packaging tools, food packages and containers include: Tightened inspection, normal inspection and reduced inspection.

Decree No. 15/2018 / ND-CP stipulates the modes of food safety inspection as follows: Food safety inspection includes three modes, namely tightened inspection, normal inspection and reduced inspection. After three notices of satisfactory results of consecutive tightened inspections, goods will be transferred to normal inspection, and after three notices of satisfactory results of consecutive normal inspections within 12 months and the goods will be transferred forreduced inspection (Article 17 of Decree No. 15 / 2018 / ND-CP). For the reduced inspection mode, documentary inspection is done for only 5% of the total number of imported shipments within one year (Article 16 of Decree No. 15/2018 / ND-CP).

Regarding quality inspection, Clause 4 Article 27 of the law on product and goods quality stipulates: “The exemption or reduction of quality inspection for products and goods which gained certificate of standard and certificate of conformity, announcement of standard and accouchement of conformity and certificate of applying advanced management systems according to international or regional standards in accordance with regulations of managementministries.”

Clause 8 Article 1 of Decree No. 74/2018 / ND-CP (amended in Clause 3, Article 4 of Decree No. 154/2018 / ND-CP) provides for application of exemption or reduction of quality inspection for two imported groups

“The imported goods have the same name, usage, brand, type, technical specifications, are made by a same manufacturer, are of the same origin, and are imported by a same importer and gain the results of conformity with the national technical regulations after three consecutive imports, will be exempted from State inspection of quality within two years,” it reads

According to the Ministry of Finance, the Law on Product and Goods Quality and Law on Food Safety are basically compatible with the order and procedures of State inspection (Article 40 of the Law on Food Safety stipulates the order, procedures and modes of State inspection of food safety with regard to imported food). This is an important basis to unify the order and procedures of quality inspection and food safety inspection for imported goods in the new model. The Law on Food Safety has more provisions than the Law on Product and Goods Quality as modes of inspection.

This is a new and progressive point compared to the Law on Product and goods quality but does not contradict the Law on Product and Goods Quality. Therefore, in implementation of the law, this regulation can be applied to both goods subject to food safety inspections and quality inspections.

Specifically, the tightened inspection mode is documentary inspection combined with sampling for verification and inspection. The normal inspection mode is the documentary inspection of applications for quality inspection and food safety inspection. Reduced inspection method is random documentary inspection of no more than 5% of the total number of shipments subject to reduced inspection the preceding year.

The synchronous application of three inspection modes oftightened inspection; normal inspection and reduced inspection for both quality and food safety is one of the reforms the project aims to, significantly reducing the number of imported shipments subject to quality inspection and food safety inspection.