The municipal People’s Committee on December 30 held a conference to announce the establishment of the country’s first-ever Department of Food Safety and personnel for the department that will come into operation on January 1, 2024.
Accordingly, Deputy Head of the HCMC's Food Safety Management Board Le Minh Hai has been appointed as Deputy Director of the newly established HCMC Department of Food Safety.
Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc said that the HCMC People’s Council passed a resolution on establishing the municipal Department of Food Safety that is expected to be put into operation from January 1, 2024.
According to the statement issued at the 11th session of the 10th tenure People's Council of HCMC for the 2021-2026 term which was held on September 19, the HCMC Department of Food Safety will be managed and operated by the municipal People’s Committee as well as comply with regulations, professional instructions and guidance of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The department will be responsible for handling law violation cases, and administrative violations against regulations on food safety and issuing quarantine certificates for animal products brought out of the city.
The establishment of the HCMC Department of Food Safety aims to protect, care for, and improve people's health in accordance with the city’s policies and current situation.
HCMC Department of Food Safety was the predecessor of the Food Safety Management Board of the city which was established in December 2016 under the three-year pilot plan of operation.
Until April 1, 2020, the Prime Minister allowed extending the trial period for operation for another three years. Seven years after the operation, the People’s Committee of the city said that the Food Safety Management Board initially affirmed the correct policy on establishing a model of state management of food safety.
At the announcement ceremony, Mr. Lam Hung Tan, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Internal Affairs, announced the prime minister’s decision to conclude the pilot operation of the HCMC Food Safety Management Board and establish the HCMC Department of Food Safety.
