Food safety in Vietnam: research and policy implications | Hanoi | 7-8 June 2017

In order to foster policy recommendations and propose quality management solutions on food safety and agricultural product traceability, the National Superior Institute of Agronomic Sciences, Food and the Environment, France (AGROSUP DIJON), the Research Consortium on Markets and agricultural linking Chains in Asia (MALICA), the Rural Development Center/Institute of Policies and Strategies for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam (RUDEC/ IPSARD) and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, Vietnam/France (CIRAD) collaborated to organize a 2-day workshop « Food safety in Vietnam: research and policy implications » on 7-8 June 2017 in Hanoi

In order to foster policy recommendations and propose quality management solutions on food safety and agricultural product traceability, the National Superior Institute of Agronomic Sciences, Food and the Environment, France (AGROSUP DIJON), the Research Consortium on Markets and agricultural linking Chains in Asia (MALICA), the Rural Development Center/Institute of Policies and Strategies for Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam (RUDEC/ IPSARD) and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, Vietnam/France (CIRAD) collaborated to organize a 2-day workshop « Food safety in Vietnam: research and policy implications » on 7-8 June 2017 in Hanoi.

 

The 1st day of the workshop gathered more than sixty participants including government agencies on quality management, retailers and researchers in food safety field. The representative of IPSARD and NAFIQAD presented an overview on food safety and traceability in Vietnam, more particularly, the current situation and key policies in Hanoi. Then, a researcher from AgroSup Dijon and a sale manager from the Australian company MLA) shared experiences in making policies and setting up traceability systems for beef in France/Europe and in Australia. Finally, the general director of the Vietnam Cooperative Union of Distribution of Safe Agricultural Products Products (UCA) was invited to present the cooperative challenges and their policy implications in the distribution system. The workshop was closed with an enthusiastic discussion between stakeholders and speakers.

The 2nd day of the workshop gathered scientists from various disciplines related to Food safety (economy, law, food processing, and animal sciences) for a scientific workshop on food safety in Vietnam with insightful presentations on recent findings of both foreign and domestic researchers in the field. It attracted more than thirty researchers from institutes, universities, NGOs… working on and interested in food safety issues. The workshop was structured into 3 sessions: 1) Stakeholder practices in value chains: constraints and opportunities; 2) Control and traceability for food safety; and 3) Risk assessment. Intense discussions between researchers followed the presentations. Concluding the workshop, a round table discussed the issues regarding “moving towards food safety implementation in and through the value chains”.