June 19, 2006

Vietnamese seafood exports exempted from re-examination

The US and Canada have announced that they would recognise certificates on exports granted by the Vietnam National Fisheries Assurance and Veterinary Association (NAFIQUAVED).

The decision was made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Canadian Food Inspection Agency would allow seafood exported to the US and Canada to be examined only by Nafiqaved and not further re-examined by importers.

Currently, seafood exports to the two markets are checked by both export and import countries before it reaches the consumer.

According to Nafiqaved head Nguyen Tu Cuong, the certificate granted by the agency would help local companies cut expenses and save time.

Seafood quality has improved over the two months since the agency conducted inspections, Cuong said.

Products from some processing plants managed to achieve zero chemical impurities during this period, he said, adding that the list of previously blacklisted goods that were banned due to their high chemical content has been whittled down.

Cuong said that since Nafigaved do not have the resources to check every plant, companies would have to supervise production themselves. However, Nafiqaved would still make random inspections.