EU Quality Requirements For Vietnam Shrimp

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

EU Quality Requirements For Vietnam Shrimp

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Nguyen Doan Khoi
Department of Scientific Research Affairs, Can Tho University

ABSTRACT
Vietnam’s fisheries industry includes production and export of shrimp, fish and other products (mollusk and cuttlefish), of which shrimp and fish products account for more than 70% in terms of volume and value, of which shrimp section accounts between 40-60% (VASEP, 2019). This paper focused on EU legislation concerning shrimp safety and quality. Firstly, the development of the current EU seafood safety perspective will be described. Then, the regulations and directives of shrimp products imported from the third countries will be analyzed. Lastly, the practices at border inspection posts for veterinary control was presented.

Keywords: Legal aspect, EU markets, shrimp, Vietnam

1. INTRODUCTION

Food safety has become a top priority for the public and the private sector in Europe (Luning et al., 2006). European food legislation has been shaped by a blend of scientific, societal, political and economic forces to establish and maintain a high level of protection of human health (FAO, 2002). This has to be accomplished in such a way that it does not arbitrarily or unjustifiably discriminate against any international trading partner (Van Plaggenhoef et al., 2003).
The development of both public and private food safety standards has been driven by numerous food scandals (Dioxin, BSE, Avian influenza…) that occurred during the last 5 to 10 years (World Bank, 2015). Consumers have become concerned about the safety of the food they consume. Food safety regulations do not only provide health protection, but also protect other consumer interests through providing them with accurate information.
As a result, the EU food industry is challenged to increase food product quality, and consumer trust, eliminate food hazards, and increase traceability of food products throughout the production chain. EU governments are reacting by imposing tighter food safety requirements and the private sector is, increasingly, using food safety standards such as HACCP, SQF, EUREP-GAP, etc. as a competitive variable in commercial strategies (CBI, 2019).
The principle of EU food safety is based on a comprehensive and integrated approach (Knura et al., 2006). This covers the total food chain (from farm to table) across all food sectors to ensure a high level of consumer protection. The farm to table policy is based on the general food law (GFL). Regulation 178/2002 known as the GFL aims to harmonize food safety laws for the EU and is the foundation for a large-scale reformulation of food law in the European Community (EC). The GFL seeks to accomplish there objectives namely (1) to lay down the principles on which modern food legislation should be based in the EU as well as in Member States; (2) to establish the European Food Safety Authority; and (3) to establish procedures for reactions to food safety crises including the so-called Rapid Alert systems. This study described the EU food safety legislation relevant for the shrimp export from Vietnam.

2. THEORETICAL REVIEW

2.1. EU legislations governing fishery products safety and quality

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) is responsible for food safety in the EU. The EU import rules for fishery products seek to guarantee that all imports fulfill the same high standards as products from the EU member states with respect to hygiene and consumer safety and quality. The EU bases its system on government-to-government assurance. Hence, imports of fishery products into the EU are subject to official certification, which is based on the recognition of the competent authority (CA) of the non-EU country by the European Commission (EC). This formal recognition of the reliability of the CA is a pre-requisite for the country to be eligible and authorized to export to the EU.

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