Mandatory traceability planned for high-risk products

Mandatory traceability planned for high-risk products

Việt Nam will make origin tracing mandatory for high-risk goods as part of the effort to strengthen quality management and prepare for stricter global standards to expand exports, officials said at a conference in Hà Nội on Thursday.

A Cà Mau crab with a code for traceability. Việt Nam will make origin tracing mandatory for high-risk goods as part of the effort to strengthen quality management. — VNA/VNS Photo Khánh Hòa

Chairman of the National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality Nguyễn Nam Hải spoke at the conference, which was held to review the nation's product traceability system five years after implementation.

Hải said that it is critical for Việt Nam to reinforce its position with advanced standards, a reliable data system and open, sustainable and digitalised supply chains as major markets like the EU, the US and Japan are tightening rules on eco-design, digital product passports and mandatory traceability. 

Stricter global requirements are posing challenges, but also creating opportunities for Vietnamese goods to integrate into the global supply chains, he said, adding that mandatory traceability is a proactive step towards seizing opportunities for expansion in the global market, Hải noted.

According to Director of the National Numbering and Barcodes Centre Bùi Bá Chính, the Ministry of Science and Technology has issued 35 national standards on traceability, covering major products such as meat, dairy and seafood.

Chính said that a draft decree guiding the implementation of the Law on Product and Goods Quality is being finalised, and would make traceability mandatory for high-risk products.

To enhance the efficiency of product tracing, Việt Nam needs to further standardise technology, strengthen data connectivity and support infrastructure development in mountainous areas to enhance links with the national product traceability portal.

Chính said issuing a list of high-risk products subject to mandatory traceability as well as priority products and minimum data retention period will be necessary.

Pilot traceability models aligning with international standards in key export sectors such as agriculture, seafood and pharmaceuticals should also be expanded, he said.

Meanwhile, more support should be given for exporters to comply with the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and anti-deforestation regulations.

Chính said Việt Nam should gradually introduce digital product passports for major export products, especially goods with high export value to the EU.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Lê Xuân Định emphasised the need to develop a national traceability system with standardised multi-sector data, international connectivity and strong integration of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and national digital platforms. 

The system must allow all major sectors to adopt unified national traceability standards, he said.

“Traceability should be positioned as the backbone of quality management and a driver of a modern production ecosystem,” Định said. 

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