After more than 10 years of operation, Thien Di Company is proud to be one of the leading reputable and qualified consulting companies in the field of applying for certificates of food safety qualified facilities as well as consulting on legal procedures arising during the establishment and business operation of hundreds of thousands of food businesses nationwide. We have helped over 1,000 businesses and households obtain food safety and hygiene licenses to quickly start their food service businesses and bring their products to market in the fastest way.
1. Legal basis
To apply for a food safety license, it is necessary to comply with the following laws and decrees:
- Law No. 55/2010/QH12 on Food Safety (2010);
- Decree No. 15/2018/NĐ-CP of the Government on detailed regulations for the implementation of provisions of the Law on Food Safety;
- Decree No. 115/20218/NĐ-CP of the Government on regulations on administrative sanctions for violations of food safety.
2. What is a Food Safety and Hygiene License?
A Food Safety and Hygiene License, also known as a Certificate of Eligibility for Food Safety, is a document issued to establishments and businesses that produce, trade, or provide food products or services.
The purpose of this license is to demonstrate that the business has met all the necessary requirements for food safety and hygiene. This ensures that food reaching consumers is safe and does not pose any health risks.
The Food Safety and Hygiene License is issued by authorized state agencies. Therefore, it is also seen as a form of state inspection for food production and trading businesses and establishments.
3. Which Agencies Issue Food Safety and Hygiene Licenses?
The agency that issues the Food Safety and Hygiene License depends on the specific food products or services offered by the business. Currently, the following agencies are authorized to issue this license:
- Ministry of Health: for food processing establishments, food service businesses, functional foods, and food additives.
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: for establishments and businesses producing and trading agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.
- Ministry of Industry and Trade: for establishments and businesses producing and trading alcoholic beverages, beer, soft drinks, and flour products.
These are the agencies responsible for issuing Food Safety and Hygiene Licenses in Vietnam.
4. Benefits of Food Safety Certification
Food safety certification plays a crucial role and holds significant importance for businesses operating in the food supply chain. The substantial benefits that this certification can offer to businesses include:
- It demonstrates the business's compliance with legal requirements, avoiding penalties due to the lack of food safety certification, which can damage both the business's reputation and profits.
- It instills confidence in customers and the community regarding the quality and safety of food products or services provided by the business. This leads to increased product sales and higher chances of winning bids and contracts.
- It contributes to the development of a sustainable food production and trading market, both in terms of economic and social benefits.
- It assists businesses in controlling and maintaining stable and consistent food quality and safety.
- It serves as a foundation for businesses to perform product quality standard declaration or apply for free circulation certificates or advertising permits for food products.
Apart from the aforementioned benefits, food safety certification offers numerous other advantages.
5. Businesses Required to Obtain Food Safety Certification:
These include restaurants, cafes, food stalls, catering businesses, and other establishments that serve or prepare food for immediate consumption.
These include factories, workshops, and other facilities that process, package, or label food products.
These include supermarkets, grocery stores, markets, and other businesses that sell food products to consumers.
Businesses that have already been granted one of the following certificates, which are still valid, are not required to obtain a food safety certificate:
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
- ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System
- International Food Standard (IFS)
- British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety
- Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000)
6. Certificate of Food Safety Sample
7. Conditions for Granting a Food Safety Certificate
7.1. Conditions for Food and Beverage Service Establishments and Food Processing Establishments
- The kitchen must be arranged to prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked food.
- There must be a sufficient supply of water that meets technical standards for food processing and business activities.
- There must be equipment for collecting and containing waste and garbage that ensures hygiene.
- Drains in the shop and kitchen area must be free-flowing and not blocked.
- The dining area must be airy, cool, and have enough light. It must be kept clean and sanitary, and there must be measures to prevent insects and pests.
- There must be equipment for food preservation, toilets, hand washing, and daily waste and garbage collection.
- The head of the unit with a collective kitchen is responsible for ensuring food safety.
- The food business and trade must be registered in the Business Registration Certificate.
7.2. Conditions for Food Production and Trading Establishments
- The location and area must be suitable and have a safe distance from sources of toxicity, pollution, and other harmful factors.
- There must be a sufficient supply of water that meets technical standards for food production and business activities.
- There must be adequate equipment for handling raw materials, processing, packaging, preserving, and transporting different types of food; there must be sufficient equipment, tools, means of washing and disinfection, antiseptic water, equipment for preventing and controlling insects and pests.
- There must be a waste treatment system that is operated regularly in accordance with environmental protection regulations.
- Food safety conditions must be maintained and records of the origin and traceability of food raw materials and other documents on the entire food production and trading process must be kept.
- Compliance with regulations on health, knowledge, and practices of people directly involved in food production and business activities.
- The food business and trade must be registered in the Business Registration Certificate.
7.3. Authority to Grant Food Safety Certificate
- Ministry of Health: for food processing establishments, food and beverage service businesses, functional foods, and food additives.
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: for agricultural, forestry, and fishery production and trading establishments and businesses.
- Ministry of Industry and Trade: for establishments and businesses producing and trading alcohol, beer, soft drinks, and flour products.
7.4. Application for Food Safety Certificate
- Application for a Food Safety Certificate;
- A copy of the Business Registration Certificate;
- Certificate of good health of the owner and the person directly involved in food production and business activities issued by a medical facility at the district level or higher;
- List of employees certified by the owner and by the person directly involved in food production and business activities to have been trained in food safety and hygiene knowledge according to the regulations of the Minister of the specialized management ministry.
Notes:
- All officers and employees of the unit applying for a food safety certificate must be in good health to ensure the operation of the establishment. Health examination for officers and employees is one of the mandatory requirements in the procedure for applying for a food safety certificate.
- At the same time, officers and employees of the establishment must participate in training on food safety and hygiene knowledge. The owner of the establishment will have to take a test related to food safety and hygiene.
8. Food Safety and Hygiene License Application Procedure
To ensure smooth operation of your business, it is crucial to understand the process of obtaining a food safety and hygiene license. Here are the specific steps you need to follow:
Step 1: Submit an application for a food safety license at the designated authority (health, trade, or agriculture department).
Step 2: Pay the application fee.
The initial license issuance fee is 150,000 VND (approximately $6.50 USD).
Additional fees may apply for file review, on-site inspection of the business premises during the licensing process, and periodic inspections after the license is granted. These fees range from 700,000 to 3,000,000 VND (approximately $30 to $130 USD) depending on the business or production sector.
Step 3: After the application is validated, the competent authority will organize an on-site inspection. The results will be recorded in an inspection report.
Step 4: Within 15 days from the date of receiving a complete and valid application and conducting an on-site inspection of the food safety and hygiene conditions at the business or production premises, the authority must issue a food safety certificate if all requirements are met. If the application is rejected, a written response stating the reasons for rejection must be provided.
Step 5: If the inspection results are unsatisfactory, the inspection report must specify a deadline for a re-inspection (maximum of 3 months). If the results are still unsatisfactory, the inspection team will prepare a report and recommend the suspension of the business operation.
9. Application for Food Safety Certificate
Required documents:
- Application for food safety certificate;
- Notarized copy of business registration certificate;
- Health certificate (issued by a medical facility at the district level or above) for the business owner/producer or business and workers directly involved in food production or business;
- List of employees confirmed to have been trained in food safety knowledge by the business owner/producer or business and workers directly involved in food production or business according to the regulations of the specialized management agency.
By preparing the above documents, businesses will have a smoother application process.
In addition, there are some other documents required for the inspection of the facility when the functional agency comes to directly assess the facility. Thiên Di Company will provide detailed instructions to Customers after the two parties have cooperated. For details, please contact Hotline: 0981 317 075.
10. Fine for not having a food safety certificate
Based on Article 18 of Decree 115/2018/ND-CP on Violations of Regulations on Food Safety Certificate, the following fines will be applied for not having a food safety certificate:
- Fine from VND 20,000,000 to VND 30,000,000 for individuals and from VND 40,000,000 to VND 60,000,000 for organizations for the act of providing catering services without a food safety certificate, except for cases not required to be granted a food safety certificate according to law and violating the regulations in Clause 2 of this Article.
- Fine from VND 30,000,000 to VND 40,000,000 for individuals and from VND 60,000,000 to VND 80,000,000 for organizations for the act of producing or trading food without a food safety certificate, except for cases not required to be granted a food safety certificate and violating the regulations in Clause 3 of this Article.
- Fine from VND 40,000,000 to VND 60,000,000 for individuals and from VND 80,000,000 to VND 120,000,000 for organizations for the act of producing functional foods without a food safety certificate meeting the requirements of good manufacturing practices (GMP) for functional foods according to the roadmap prescribed by law.
11. Remedial Measures
a) Confiscation of food for violations of Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article
b) Compulsory change of purpose, recycling, or destruction of food for violations of Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article
12. Basic Notes on Food Safety Certificate Issuance Procedures
Responsibilities:
- The Food Safety Department, the Food Safety Management Board, and the Department of Health are responsible for reviewing and approving applications.
- If any deficiencies or errors are found, the enterprise will be notified in writing within 5 days of the application receipt date.
Timeframes:
- If the enterprise does not address the deficiencies within 60 days of receiving the feedback from the Food Safety Department, the application will be canceled.
- If the application is complete, a team of 3 to 5 inspectors will visit the facility within the next 10 days.
- If the facility meets the requirements, the enterprise will be issued a certificate within 15 days.
- If the application is incomplete, the enterprise will have 60 days to address the deficiencies.
13. Food Safety Certificate Costs in Vietnam
The cost of obtaining a food safety certificate in Vietnam varies depending on the business type and size of the establishment. Here is a breakdown of the fees:
13.1. Food Safety Certificate Application Fees:
- Initial food safety certificate issuance fee: 150,000 VND (approximately $6.50 USD) per application.
- Food safety certificate renewal fee: 150,000 VND (approximately $6.50 USD) per application.
13.2. Food Safety Certificate Assessment Fees:
- Food business establishment assessment: 1,000,000 VND (approximately $43 USD) per establishment.
- Food service establishment assessment:
- Serving less than 200 meals: 700,000 VND (approximately $30 USD) per establishment.
- Serving 200 meals or more: 1,000,000 VND (approximately $43 USD) per establishment.
- Food production establishment assessment (excluding health food production establishments): 3,000,000 VND (approximately $130 USD) per establishment.
- Food safety and health food production establishment assessment according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP): 22,500,000 VND (approximately $970 USD) per establishment.
13.3. Other Food Safety Certificate Application Costs:
In addition to the government fees listed above, businesses may choose to use a consulting service to save time and focus on their core business activities. In this case, there will be an additional fee for the consulting service.
To avoid wasting resources on infrastructure due to misunderstandings of regulations or delays in obtaining a food safety certificate, please contact Thiên Di Company's Hotline at 0981 317 075 for free consultation and the fastest and most effective solution based on your business scale and type.
14. Food Safety Certificate Validity Period:
Many individuals and businesses mistakenly believe that the food safety certificate is valid indefinitely and do not renew it. This is a common misconception that can result in unexpected fines for businesses.
It's important to remember that the food safety certificate is valid for 3 years from the date of issuance by the competent authority. During this period, the authorities will still conduct inspections and assessments to confirm that your business meets food safety requirements. Your business can operate freely as long as it complies with the commitments and agreements made to the food safety certificate issuing authority.
15. Certificate of Food Safety Compliance Application Service by Thiên Di
What we offer:
- Consulting on the conditions for obtaining a Certificate of Food Safety Compliance for your business.
- Drafting and submitting the application on your behalf to the competent authority.
- Keeping you updated on the application process.
- Receiving and delivering the Certificate to you once it is issued.
- Providing legal advice related to your business operations.
Our comprehensive services cover:
- Business establishment (enterprises and households).
- Business license amendments.
- Food safety and hygiene certificates.
- Logo and trademark registration.
- Product quality declaration.
- Food advertising licenses.
16. Reasons to choose Thiên Di's services:
Thien Di has helped over 1,000 businesses and business households obtain food safety and hygiene licenses quickly and cost-effectively.
We provide comprehensive consulting services, covering all aspects from business and household establishment, business license change, food safety and hygiene certificate, logo and trademark registration, product quality announcement to food advertising license application. Clients only need to come to one place to solve all their business problems, saving them time and money.
Enthusiastic and timely customer support in all situations.
Our team consists of:
- Experienced and professional experts and staff.
- Regularly updated on new regulations and policies.
- Continuously trained to improve professional skills and work experience.
- Capable of handling high work pressure.
- Always dedicated to self-improvement and professionalism, aiming for absolute customer satisfaction.
16.1. Human Resources
Human resources are the key to the success of any business. Therefore, Thien Di always focuses on building and developing a professional, serious, and customer-friendly human resource team - which has been the compass for our success over the past time.
Thien Di provides services for medical equipment import procedures, medical equipment classification services, application for medical equipment import licenses, import licenses for medical equipment, etc. in Vietnam. Currently, we provide this service in most provinces and cities across the country, completing the application and procedures on behalf of clients to submit to state agencies, so clients will not have to spend time doing administrative procedures.
16.2. Additional services:
In addition to consulting on import license procedures for medical equipment, Thiên Di also offers a wide range of other services, including:
- Business registration and licensing
- Food safety certification
- Cosmetic registration
- Animal feed and aquatic feed registration
- Intellectual property registration
- Consulting on advertising permits
- Consulting on Free Sale Certificates (CFS)
- Health certificate application
Contact us today to learn more about our services or to request a free consultation.
Contact Info:
THIEN DI TRADING SERVICES COMPANY LIMITED
Address: No. 36 Street A4, Ward 12, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City
Hotline: 0981317075
Phone: 028.6293 9377
Email: info@luatthiendi.com
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