Decree no.155/2018/NĐ-CP regarding penalty for administrative violations in food safety becomes effective since 20th October 2018. Accordingly, penalty for violations in food safety during seafood production is much tougher than before.
Putting contaminants into material shrimps for higher benefit is considered a trade fraud. Frequent consumption of contaminated shrimps will result in health risks once contaminants are not included in the list of legal additives or supportive substancesfor food production. Contamination has more or less affected the brand name of Vietnamese shrimp, especially exported shrimps while the items bring large amount of export value to the whole industry.
Prime Minister issued an official document to require ministries, sectors and local authorities to stop the contamination by the end of 2018. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development sent his instructions to local authorities for their cooperation and action. Relevant agencies like Inspection and Nafiqad have worked with Environmental Police (Ministry of Public Security)and Market Surveillance (Ministry of Industry and Trade) to hold patrols to capture and handle those who committed to shrimp contamination.
The Government has just issued a Decree no.115/2018/NĐ-CP regarding penalty for administrative violations in food safety and become effective since 20th October 2018. Accordingly, penalty for violations in food safety during seafood production is much tougher than before.
Pay a fine between five and seven million VND if a person or organization stores, transport, and exploit seafood from prohibited farming facilities and areas. The maximum fine for those who commit to collection and preliminary treatment of seafood from prohibited farming facilities and areas is ten million dong. Pay a fine between ten million and fifteen million VND if a person or organization hires another person to transport and exploit seafood from prohibited farming facilities and areas.
Pay a fine between three million and one hundred million VND if a person or organization puts chemical contaminants into seafood; produce, carry on business and use contaminated seafood.
Pay a fine between twenty million and one hundred million dong if a person or organization commits to exploitation, collection, preliminary treatment, preservation, processing, and trading of naturally contaminated seafood. The largest fine is one hundred million VND; otherwise it will be decided by competent authorities.
In case maximum fine is carried out but it is still seven times less than the value of productsand criminal responsibility prosecution is not applied, a person or organization may be charged five to seven times of the product value.
Besides, additional penalty might be applied depending on degree and behavior i.e forfeiture of Certificate of food safety within four or six months; suspension of production from one to three months; or confiscation of properties.
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