Vietnamese instant noodle products imported into the European Union (EU) market will not require certificates of food safety inspection issued by Viet Nam’s authorised agencies from June 27.

Viet Nam News Agency reported that the EU on June 7 published an amendment to Regulation 2019/1973 regarding emergency measures for controlling food exports into the EU.

Accordingly, the EU has officially moved Viet Nam’s instant noodles from Annex II, which requires a Health Certificate (HC) and 20 per cent control at the border gate, to Annex 1, which only requires 20 per cent control of the products at the EU border gates.

This decision is a recognition of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s efforts in controlling food safety as well as supporting businesses in dealing with the problem.

In January 2022, the EU put Vietnamese instant noodles products under the microscope subject to Regulation 2019/1793 in order to control ethylene oxide (EO) residues. This meant any Vietnamese instant noodle products imported into the EU must have a Health Certificate (HC) issued by an authorised Vietnamese agency.

Only six months later, the EU removed Viet Nam’s vermicelli and rice products from the list of food safety management.

According to the Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Belgium and the EU Tran Ngoc Quan, the EU’s maintenance of the 20 per cent control at border gates requires Vietnamese producers to maintain food safety control for instant noodles.

In the last six months of 2023, if violations of food safety regulations were found, the EU might increase the control to 50 per cent at border gates and bring the products back to Annex 2.

Thus, enterprises are urged to strictly control the production supply chain to ensure compliance with the food safety regulations of the union.

Enterprises should also consider bringing products from shipments to the EU to reputable laboratories for testing. — VNS