April 3, 2008

Vietnam looks to learn seafood quality control from Japan
 

Vietnam is looking to learn analysis and hygiene monitoring techniques as well as seafood safety standards from Japan, which had sent a delegation of seafood experts to inspect four Vietnamese seafood processors.
 

The delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's food safety department were scheduled to inspect the seafood processors from April 1-4.

Japan has been Vietnam's top seafood market for nearly 20 years, and Vietnam is striving to ensure product quality and food safety to maintain Japan's confidence after it returned a shipment of seafood containing antibiotic residue, said Nguyen Tu Cuong, director of the National Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Administrative Directorate of Vietnam (NAFIQAD).

Vietnam requires Japan's technical assistance in the field and the Japanese delegation could provide Vietnam a chance to learn Japan's analysis and hygiene monitoring techniques and seafood safety standards, and, said Cuong. 

The technical exchange could also boost cooperation conditions between businesses of the two countries, Cuong added.

NAFIQAD plans to show its food safety management and antibiotic residue control in seafood exports to the Japanese delegation.

Vietnam and Japan are also considering signing a protocol on quality and food safety control for seafood shipments between the two countries.

Japan  was Vietnam's second largest seafood market last year, importing about 119,000 tonnes of seafood worth at nearly US$746 million. The figure accounted for 21.1 percent of Vietnam's total seafood export value.