Traceability is the 'key' to building a transparent market

Photo caption — Mr. Tran Huu Linh, Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ) spoke at the forum.

Speaking at the Forum, Mr. Tran Huu Linh, Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade) emphasized: in the context of deep integration, when Vietnam participates in many free trade agreements (FTAs), transparency of the origin of goods has become a vital requirement.

According to Mr. Tran Huu Linh, traceability is not only the responsibility of the management agency, but also the responsibility of businesses and consumers. Because only when the product has a clear "identification card" of origin, production process, quality and circulation journey, can the market operate transparently and sustainably.

Mr. Tran Huu Linh said that in recent years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has closely coordinated with ministries, branches and localities to deploy many solutions to improve the effectiveness of market management, combat smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods and goods of unknown origin. Market management forces nationwide have increased inspection, supervision, detection and handling of tens of thousands of violations each year, making an important contribution to cleaning up the business environment.

However, Mr. Linh also frankly admitted: "Although the fight against counterfeit goods, fake goods, and origin fraud has been strengthened, the situation is still complicated with many sophisticated methods and tricks. Goods of unknown origin still infiltrate many distribution channels, even e-commerce." Therefore, the implementation of a synchronous, unified and modern product traceability system is an urgent requirement to not only support state management, but also create a legal corridor for enterprises to produce and trade transparently and sustainably.

According to Mr. Tran Huu Linh, identification and traceability are two pillars of modern market management. Identification helps to identify products accurately from the place of production to the place of consumption, while traceability provides complete and authentic information about the product's journey. When these two factors are combined, a "transparent management ecosystem" will be formed, where every transaction can be verified and authenticated.

Mr. Linh said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade has directed the Market Management force to strengthen inspection and supervision of online business activities, coordinate with e-commerce platforms to detect and strictly handle violations. At the same time, promote the application of digital technology in supervision, build a database of goods and circulation routes, gradually moving towards the goal of data-based management instead of relying only on traditional inspection.

“We determined that there must be a unified traceability system, using modern technology, easy to access, connected to the management systems of other ministries and branches and in accordance with international practices. At that time, each product will have a unique identification code, like the citizen identification of the goods,” said Mr. Tran Huu Linh.

In addition, Mr. Tran Huu Linh also emphasized the pioneering role of enterprises in proactively clarifying the origin of products. Applying traceability not only helps enterprises affirm their brands, but is also a "passport" for Vietnamese goods to overcome technical barriers and conquer demanding markets.

Sharing about the current application of identification and traceability technology at Vinamilk , Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Executive Director of Research and Development, Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company, said that in addition to the above technology system, Vinamilk is also applying Blockchain and AI to analyze supply chain data, combining QR codes on packaging. Accordingly, allowing consumers to look up information about farms, production dates, transportation and quality control.

However, according to Mr. Khanh, businesses are currently facing challenges such as high investment costs, staff training requirements and data integration. Vinamilk expects the Decree on identification and traceability to be issued soon, creating a unified legal corridor to support businesses.

Regarding the pharmaceutical sector, sharing about the issue of transparency and traceability for pharmaceutical products and functional foods, Ms. Tran Thuy Huyen, Head of Legal Department of Long Chau Pharmacy System and Long Chau Vaccination Center, said that Long Chau Pharmacy System has pioneered in building a strategy of transparency of product origin. According to Ms. Huyen, consumers can look up the circulation license, announcement number, manufacturer information and origin right at the counter, on the website or application.

Ms. Huyen added that Long Chau's data is connected to the Ministry of Health's information portal, ensuring accuracy and real-time updates. The company cooperates with the Institute of Information Technology and the National Institute of Food Safety to inspect input quality and conduct periodic independent testing.

Long Chau representative also said that the unit is building a "Pharmaceutical Transparency Alliance", connecting manufacturers, distributors and associations to standardize identification codes, make circulation processes transparent and ensure traceability. The company also proposed to increase the application of QR codes and communication to raise public awareness about intellectual property protection.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/truy-xuat-nguon-goc-la-chia-khoa-xay-dung-thi-truong-minh-bach-20251009151401253.htm