Vietnamese instant noodle products exported to the European Union (EU) will not be required to obtain a certificate of food safety inspection from authorized Vietnamese agencies from June 27, according to the Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Belgium.

The EU published an amendment to Regulation No. 2019/1973 on June 7 regarding emergency measures for controlling food exports to the EU.

Under the new regulation, the EU has officially moved Vietnamese instant noodles from Annex II, which requires a Health Certificate (HC) and control at the border gate, to Annex 1, which only requires 20 per cent control of products at EU border gates.

In January 2022, the EU made Vietnamese instant noodle products subject to Regulation No. 2019/1973 see above in order to control ethylene oxide (EO) residues. Any Vietnamese instant noodle products exported to the EU were required to have an HC issued by an authorized Vietnamese agency.

Earlier, Vietnam successfully convinced the EU to remove its vermicelli and rice products from the food safety management list six months after the bloc ratified urgent control regulations on such products.

These decisions recognize the efforts of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in controlling food safety as well as helping businesses resolve difficulties.