Hanoi: Commune-level People's Committees take full responsibility for food safety management

According to the new regulations, the People's Committees at the commune level will take full responsibility for food safety management in their respective localities, marking an important step forward in ensuring food safety from the grassroots level.

Specifically, the city decentralizes food safety management into two levels: City level and commune level. The decentralization principle is clearly defined, accordingly, whichever level issues the business registration certificate is responsible for food safety management for the corresponding facility.

Authorities inspect a food business.

This model aims to increase initiative, improve the effectiveness of monitoring, inspection and handling of violations in the field of food safety, especially at small production and business establishments, school kitchens, and lower-level hospitals, which are easily overlooked during centralized inspections at higher levels.

According to the new decision, the Department of Health is the standing agency of the City's Food Safety Steering Committee, responsible for managing products managed by the health sector such as pre-packaged foods, food additives, food containers, etc.

At the same time, the Department of Health has the authority to issue related documents such as: product declaration, certificate of advertising content, certificate of food safety eligibility, certificate of free circulation (CFS), export certificate, designation of testing facilities, etc. The Department of Health is also the unit in charge of handling serious food safety incidents, inter-sectoral inspection, post-inspection and supervision of food circulation on the market.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for managing food safety throughout the entire primary production process of agricultural products, from cultivation, husbandry to preliminary processing, preservation and transportation.

This unit is also responsible for managing food safety at wholesale markets, agricultural auction markets, issuing licenses related to food safety , product declaration, CFS certification, etc. In addition, the Department is responsible for organizing inspections, post-inspections, handling violations and inter-sectoral coordination in propaganda work, building and proposing local technical regulations.

Meanwhile, the Department of Industry and Trade is responsible for managing food safety throughout the entire chain of food production, processing, preservation, transportation and trading. The scope of management includes supermarket systems, shopping malls and e-commerce platforms.

The Department is authorized to issue food safety certificates (when authorized), conduct testing and inspection of imported and exported products, and preside over the prevention of counterfeit goods, smuggled goods, food of unknown origin, and intellectual property violations. This unit also coordinates periodic inspections and thematic inspections of food safety at traditional markets, and advises on reporting management work to the city level.

Notably, Decision 53 clearly states that the People's Committee at the commune level is fully responsible for food safety management in the area under its management. This includes monitoring food safety conditions for establishments not subject to business registration or investment certificates, small-scale food service establishments, collective kitchens at schools, second-class hospitals and below, etc.

The People's Committee at the commune level also has the right to receive food safety commitments, issue and revoke food safety certificates when authorized, and proactively inspect, monitor, handle violations, trace food origins, coordinate inter-sectoral coordination and promote food safety in the locality.

Clear decentralization, especially the delegation of proactive authority to the commune level, is expected to increase the effectiveness of food safety management right at the grassroots level, contributing to protecting people's health and preventing food safety risks in the community.

This is also an important step to concretize the goal of building a multi-sectoral, synchronous, unified and effective food safety management system from city to commune and ward levels.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ha-noi-ubnd-cap-xa-chiu-trach-nhiem-toan-dien-ve-quan-ly-an-toan-thuc-pham-d388335.html