FAO is taking fresh action to support Viet Nam in addressing a hot issue of current public concern – food safety.

A kick-off workshop was held on August 12, 2015 in Ha Noi to enhance the implementation of the One UN Fund-supported FAO project, “Strengthening capacity of food safety management along the value chain for better quality of agricultural and fishery products”.

The -3 year project  is designed to support the Vietnamese Government to strengthen national food safety control systems for the agro-product food chain to increase public confidence in food supplies, in compliance with the Food Safety Law.

“In parallel with the development of agricultural and fisheries production in Viet Nam, food safety risks to consumers’ health have considerably increased. Unsafe food not only has immediate impacts on consumers’ health, but also generate long-term negative impacts,” said Mr. JongHa Bae, FAO Representative in Viet Nam. He said contamination - often due to pesticides, veterinary drugs and chemical residues - also limited farmers’ access to domestic and international markets due to strict food safety standards.
To address this need, FAO will help enhance the technical capacity of the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Trade and Health to establish policies and guide the application of intensified control measures nationwide to improve the quality and safety of agro products, including fish. The National Agro-Forestry-Fishery Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) will help FAO implement the project.

He said the project would better position MARD to meet its food safety responsibilities under the Food Safety Law throughout the process of production, collection, slaughter, preliminary processing, processing and preservation of agro products.

“This project is very important as it will not only help to strengthen food safety control systems for the agro-product chain, but also contribute to the implementation of the Food Safety Law and in accordance with Government mandate,” said Mr. JongHa Bae.

The project will also build on previous FAO work to enhanace food safety and the value chain of products for nutrition enhancement, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, especially in rural areas.