New requirements for Norwegian businesses exporting seafood to Vietnam
The Vietnamese authorities have updated the requirements for Norwegian companies that want to register to be approved for the import of seafood products to Vietnam.
Who do the requirements apply to?
Businesses that have already been approved in Vietnam are not covered by the new requirements to retain their approved status. If these companies change something in their registration, e.g. add new products or categories, then the new requirements must be met.
Companies that have not already been approved in Vietnam must meet the new requirements when registering.
The new registration form called “Registration for Export of Seafood to Vietnam” was made available last Monday October 21, 2024. Updated information and guidance is also found on that page about the export of fish and seafood to Vietnam.
The new requirements are:
- A HACCP declaration must be attached to all registrations. The HACCP declaration shall embrace all categories and products for which registration is sought.
- Under the four questions about “Description of production process”, the company must describe how food safety is safeguarded throughout all processes in production. This includes not only inside the production facility, but during the farming and/or fishing phases, as well as throughout the transportation of product from the farm or fishing boat to the plant.
- Information about labels used on goods to Vietnam must be provided. Applicants can attach a photo of a label to the summary in the quality system.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has revised the guidelines for registration in the MATS form services. In a release last week, NFSA urged applicants to read the guide before they register or change their registration. They can also use help texts in MATS form services.
“To ensure that everyone has time to register, or change their registration before the next list is sent to Vietnam, we are postponing the deadline to December 1st,” NFSA said in its announcement.
“It is therefore important that the enterprise’s registration is received, with correct information and attachments, at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority by 1 December in order to be included on the next list. If the registration or attachments contain errors, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority cannot guarantee that they will be sent on the next list to Vietnam,” the announcement said.
Seafoodnews/Mattilsynet
