Vietnam Establishes Its First Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

On November 2, 2024, the Ministry of Health held a ceremony to announce the establishment of the Vietnam Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (VFSA) under the National Institute for Food Control. This is the Vietnam's first center dedicated to food safety risk assessment, which is responsible for supporting food safety management, and proposing effective solutions to ensure food safety.

The VFSA's core functions include:

• identifying and assessing health risks from chemical and biological agents in food and related products;

• providing expert guidance on risk management and communication;

• contributing to the development of food safety standards and technical regulations;

• establishing a comprehensive data collection and analysis network;

• facilitating domestic and international cooperation in food safety risk assessment.

At the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Tran Cao Son, who serves as both Deputy Director of the National Institute for Food Control and Head of the VFSA, outlined the center's development roadmap. In the initial years, the Center will focus on consolidating its organizational structure and standardizing operational procedures. In addition, the center will begin conducting preliminary risk assessments while building partnerships both locally and internationally. By 2030, the VFSA aims to complete its resource development, strengthen its infrastructure, establish a comprehensive database, and fully implement its risk assessment capabilities.

The establishment of VFSA comes at a crucial time for Vietnam, where an increasingly diverse food market has led to more and more food safety challenges. Although the Vietnam government has made great efforts by developing relevant regulations, strengthening the food safety supervision, investing on the food testing system, etc., food safety incidents still occur frequently. The VFSA will not only play a vital role in identifying sources of contamination and harmful substances, but also provide a solid scientific basis for authorities to regulate those food violation cases. “The establishment of the Food Safety Risk Assessment Center in this context is a strategic and timely step in ensuring food safety for people in the direction of risk-based management,” the Deputy Minister of Health said.