Vietnam Tightens Control over Food Imports from Japan

Japanese import-export enterprises have been asked to ensure their food products free from radioactivity before exporting to Vietnam, Head of the Ministry of Health’s Food Safety and Hygiene Department Nguyen Cong Khan said.
“Firms from the disaster-hit country were required to provide certificates of radioactive safety for their food products in a move to control food possibly affected by radioactivity, and they agreed with our proposal,” Khan attributed.
Japanese products, including milk formula, cosmetics and salmon, are widely used by Vietnamese customers thanks to their high quality and safety, he said, adding that concerns have grown in the country, following the radioactive leak at the Fukushima power plant. Khan noted that local health authorities had not completely banned Japanese products as there is no evidence that they would harm the consumer health. Goods like meat, vegetables, fish and fresh milk produced in radiation-hit areas were not on the list of Vietnam's commodity imports, he added. Experts, however, warned consumers about made-in-Japan products brought by travelers into Vietnam. The department has planned to test goods imported from Japan and would keep in close touch with the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan to get latest information about contaminated products. (Vietnam News Mar 25 p3, Lao Dong online – Labor  Mar 24, Dat Viet – National Land Mar 25 p10)