Vietnam Dairy Regulation

1. Definition

Dairy products in this Pedia refers to common processed milk products, including liquid milk, fermented milk, powdered milk, butter, cheese, etc.

Dairy products served as functional foods, products fortified with micronutrients, and dietary products for children up to 36 months are excluded from this scope.

Recommended Pedia:

• Vietnam Infant Formula Regulation

2. Competent authority

3. Market access approval

3.1 Overall import conditions

Dairy products intended to be exported to Vietnam must comply with relevant regulations established by the Vietnamese authorities.

• Self-declaration of conformity: One of the primary regulations entails finishing a self-declaration of conformity before the importation into the country (Read details in 3.2 Product Self-declaration).

• Inspection of food hygiene and safety: Imported dairy products must undergo food hygiene and safety inspection before customs clearance.

• Animal quarantine: Some dairy products as indicated in Circular 11/2021/TT-BNNPTNT, which specifies the list of imported goods subject to specialized inspection in the field of agriculture and rural development, are subject to animal quarantine inspection before customs clearance (Please refer to 3.3 Inspection and quarantine below for more information).

Once dairy products comply with these requirements, they are permitted to be exported to Vietnam.

Notes:

• Registration for oversea dairy manufacturers is not required in Vietnam.

• Different from some food categories, dairy traders are not required to obtain the Certificate of Satisfaction of Food Safety Condition, as the Certificate is not required for pre-packaged food traders.

3.2 Product self-declaration:

Food traders shall finish the self-declaration for their dairy products as per Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP of the Government: Detailing the Implementation of a Number of Articles of the Law on Food Safety (partially amended by Decree No. 155/2018/ND-CP).

General procedures for self-declaration:

• Food traders submit to the competent authority a dossier for self-declaration of conformity of the product. If the dossier is complete and in accordance with the regulations, the competent authority will upload the product’s information on their public system. If the dossier is not satisfactory with the requirements, it will be returned by the authority for correction.

• At the same time, the food trader will announce the declared dossier about the product at the company's headquarters, upload to their website, or publish on mass media.

• Right after the self-declaration is made, the supplier is entitled to manufacture and sell the product and assume full responsibility for the safety of such product.

Needed materials include:

• The self-declaration form (Form No. 01 in Appendix I of Decree No. 15/2018);

• The original copy or certified true copy of the food safety data sheet issued by a designated laboratory or a laboratory complying with ISO 17025 within 12 months before the self-declaration is made.

3.3 Inspection and quarantine

Dairy and dairy products are subject to both food safety and quarantine inspections.

4. Product compliance

Manufacturers of dairy products shall satisfy general food safety conditions specified in Food Safety Law 2010 and Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP of the Government: Detailing the Implementation of a Number of Articles of the Law on Food Safety (partly amended by Decree 155/2018/ND-CP). Attention must be paid to Circular No. 43/2018/TT-BCT on Providing Food Safety Management Under the Responsibility of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (which was partially amended by Circular No. 13/2020/TT-BTC).

Besides the Food Safety Law and its subordinate regulation, it is important to follow specific regulations for dairy products as well as some safety and hygiene requirements.

Food additive usage compliance in Vietnam can be found in ChemLinked's FoodCheck tool.

5. Label

The Food Safety Law and its implementation rules specify some requirements for labelling: Food Safety Law 2010 and Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP of the Government: Detailing the Implementation of a Number of Articles of the Law on Food Safety (partly amended by Decree 155/2018/ND-CP Amendments to Some Articles Related to Business Conditions Under State Management of the Ministry of Health).

Besides the fundamental law and its implementation rules mentioned above, Decree No. 43/2017/ND-CP on Goods Labels is the most important regulation for stakeholders to learn, since it is a specialized regulation for product label. In 2021, some articles of Decree No. 43/2017 were amended and supplemented by Decree No. 111/2021/ND-CP. Circular No. 05/2019/TT-BKHCN also provides details for a number of articles of Decree No. 43/2017.

At last, stakeholders also need to check the labeling requirements raised in the National Technical Regulations (QCVN) for specific dairy products listed in Chapter 4. Product compliance.

Details regarding labeling requirements can be found at ChemLinked's article Vietnam's Legislation Framework on Food Labeling and ChemLinked's FoodCheck tool.

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