The General Department of Vietnam Customs continues to implement the scheme on reforming the model of quality inspection and food safety inspection for imported goods under Decision 38/QĐ-TTg dated January 12, 2021 of the Prime Minister.

VILAS mobile inspection station of the Customs Department of Goods Verification.
Photo: H.Nụ

The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) has advised the Ministry of Finance to sign a dossier to submit to the Government for approval of the decree in Report No. 144/TTr-BTC dated August 16, 2021.

In parallel, GDVC has developed a draft of the contents of the overview model; business process; appropriate professional requirements as prescribed in the decree; the information content is expected to be shared among ministries, sectors and units through the National Single Window within the scope of the decree... serving for the development of information technology systems that meets the requirements of the decree when it is promulgated.

In addition, the GDVC also arranged and supplemented human resources, equipment, etc., to be ready to deploy quality inspection and food safety inspection following the roadmap of the scheme to meet the new model.

Specifically, conducting pilot programme for a number of products on the market and certified criteria following the Decree 107/2016/ND-CP dated July 1st, 2016, such as: testing indicators microbiological control on some dried fruit products; pilot testing of heavy metal indicators on the background of biscuit and vegetable samples; pilot testing quality of some indicators of pH, and free acids on fertilisers; quality parameters of pasteurized milk such as protein, fat, and dry matter.

Furthermore, conducting a review and revision of the ISO 17025: 2017 system; develop dossiers following the ISO 17065: 2013; perform proficiency testing of heavy metals As, Cd, Pb, Hg in biscuits, milk, vegetables; indicators on tensile strength, upper yield strength, relative elongation after breaking of steel, steel components. At the same time, the Customs Department of Goods Verification has submitted an application for appointment of testing fertiliser products which is amending and supplementing the dossier at the request of the Plant Protection Department.