Firms ask to remove regulations on adding iodine, iron, zinc to food

Fish sauce production. Adding iodine to fish sauce production has increased production costs and even changed the taste and colour of the product. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Companies have urged the Government to remove regulations on adding iodine to salt, and iron and zinc to wheat flour for processing food.

They say the new rules under Decree 09/2016/NĐ-CP (Decree 9) have caused them difficulties, caused production issues, and do not accord with international practices.

Lý Kim Chi, chairwoman of HCM City Food and Foodstuff Association (FFA) told Người Lao Động (Labour) newspaper that in early July 2024, five associations relating to the food industry, including FFA, the Association of Food Transparency, Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, The Business Association of High Quality Vietnamese Products and the Phú Quốc Fish Sauce Association, sent the proposal on amending Decree 09 to Deputy Prime Minister Lê Thành Long, the Government Office and the Ministry of Health.

In the petition, these associations said that in the past seven years, they sent many reports and recommendations relating to the regulations sent to the Government. 

They said those regulations did not comply with the guidance of the World Health Organisation and were not in accordance with international practices and export food production industries. The regulations have also created difficulties for food production and business activities, but their effectiveness for public health is very low. 

According to Chi, after Decree 09 was issued, the businesses of the food production and processing industry have, on several occasions, argued to get the regulations removed. 

Chi added that on May 15, 2018, the Government issued Resolution No. 19-2018/NQ-CP to direct the Ministry of Health to research amendment and supplementation for Decree 09, aiming at abolishing the above regulations. Instead, food processing enterprises are encouraged to supplement iodine, iron and zinc in processing food products.

On June 26, 2018, the Ministry of Health issued a plan on amending Decree 09 but this has not been implemented yet, she said. 

She added that the association would coordinate with the enterprises processing food products to organise a seminar at which they would once again ask for the regulations to be removed. 

Meanwhile, many enterprises said that supplementing these micronutrients to food affects product quality as well as price, according to Nguyễn Thị Hồng Minh, chairwoman of the Association of Food Transparency. 

A representative of a traditional fish sauce production business in HCM City said that a lot of natural iodine is inherent in the fish sauce product which is made from salt and fish. 

The representative stated that the addition of iodine has increased their production costs and altered the taste and colour of their product, without any noticeable difference in iodine levels compared to using regular salt.

“We export products to Japan and Europe. The use of iodised salt requires explanation, which creates obstacles in the export process,” the representative said.

Chi also said that since the pandemic, the domestic food industry has faced many struggles, and many businesses have never had a chance to recover and have had to sell up or close. Prolonged difficulties, together with complying with unsuitable regulations and administrative procedures, have impacted businesses’ production and viability. — VNS