Ho Chi Minh City proposal classifies food safety incidents involving foreign deaths as level 3

The draft outlines measures and procedures for monitoring and responding to food safety incidents across the city.

It is currently open for public consultation through November 2.

As per the proposal, food safety incidents would be divided into three levels based on their severity and impact.

Level 1 incidents are those occurring within a local area.

Level 2 incidents are those occurring locally and meeting at least one additional criterion: taking place in an industrial park or export processing zone; occurring at an educational institution serving high school students or older; affecting two or more wards, communes or special zones; or resulting in a death.

Level 3 incidents include those involving the death of a foreign national or affecting the city’s security, political stability, social order or tourism.

For Level 1 incidents, ward- and commune-level administrations would lead the response.

The municipal Food Safety Department would take charge of Level 2 incidents.

For Level 3 incidents, the municipal administration would direct the Food Safety Department to coordinate with relevant agencies to handle the situation.

The city also proposes establishing a municipal rapid-response team, led by the Food Safety Department, to handle Level 2 and Level 3 incidents.

The team would include representatives from the Food Safety Department, the Department of Health, the Department of Public Security, relevant local authorities, and other specialized agencies as necessary.

For Level 1 incidents, a local rapid-response team would be established, comprising representatives from the ward-level administration, health station, food safety personnel, police, and relevant agencies.

The teams would be responsible for promptly arriving at incident sites, coordinating verification and investigations into the causes, collecting information, arranging food sampling, tracing food origins in accordance with the law, and implementing or coordinating initial containment measures.

Rapid response teams must begin initial response activities within two hours of receiving information about an incident.

They must also submit a preliminary report within 24 hours of receiving the information to the Food Safety Department for Level 1 incidents, or to the municipal administration for Level 2 and Level 3 incidents, as well as other relevant agencies.

The draft identifies four channels for receiving reports of food safety incidents: a dedicated Food Safety Department hotline operating 24 hours a day, including weekends and public holidays; an online reporting system linking healthcare facilities, educational institutions, local authorities; official digital platforms announced by the municipal administration; and direct reports from organizations and individuals, media reports, social media posts, and notifications from central and local government agencies.