Vietnam Economic Times November 09 2026

Dear readers,

Food safety has long been one of the leading concerns within Vietnamese society. To ensure the safety of the country’s food, which means ensuring the health of its people, the Party and State have issued a raft of policies, mechanisms, and legal documents over the years, among which the Law on Food Safety 2010 stands out.

The system of mechanisms, policies, and legal frameworks regarding food safety aims at two main objectives: consumers being provided with clean and safe food; and a legal environment being in place for businesses and households operating in the food supply chain, from production, processing, preservation, trading, and import-export to announcement, advertising, distribution, and consumption.

However, reality shows that consumers are still not truly confident in the food they buy (including functional foods, dietary supplements, and health-targeted foods), as hundreds of food poisoning cases occur each year; while instances of food of unclear origin, low-quality, or even contaminated food, as well as counterfeit goods, fake brands, and foods with tampered expiration dates, are still rampant in the market, despite major efforts by regulatory authorities. Meanwhile, businesses and households participating in the food supply chain still face numerous difficulties, and even bottlenecks and barriers, from existing mechanisms, policies, and the legal system.

The issue at hand is to amend those mechanisms, policies, and legal documents on food safety that are no longer suitable for actual circumstances, starting with the Law on Food Safety 2010.

The draft Law on Food Safety, to replace the Law on Food Safety 2010, in which the Ministry of Health played the leading role, was submitted on October 24 by the government to the 16th National Assembly at its ongoing second sitting.

One of the most important objectives of the draft is to enhance the capacity, effectiveness, and efficiency of State management regarding food safety; while also facilitating the activities of households and businesses in the production, trading, import-export, distribution, supply, processing, and consumption of food, with the ultimate goal being that food reaching consumers must be truly safe.

The draft Law on Food Safety (revised) will tighten food safety management along the supply chain, to be implemented throughout the food production and trading process, based on the analysis of safety risks at each stage of the supply chain to fulfill the traceability requirements to ensure consumer safety.

During the group discussion session at the 16th National Assembly, held on October 24, regarding several draft laws, including the draft Law, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung said the government has proposed a number of new mechanisms and policies in the draft, such as risk-based management, supply chain management, digital transformation, and, in particular, identifying a unified management system.

However, public opinion in general, and especially among businesses operating in the food supply sector, remains mixed regarding certain elements of the draft.

To meet the information needs of readers during the National Assembly’s discussion of the draft Law at the upcoming plenary session, scheduled for November 11, our Cover Story in this edition focuses on a series of articles analyzing the key amendments in the draft, aiming to ensure both public health and the creation of a favorable production and business environment, along with a transparent, feasible, and effective management system. A host of contributions are featured, from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), industry associations, and businesses in the food industry.

Warmest regards

Dr. CHU VAN LAM
CHAIRMAN OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD