VIỆN KIỂM NGHIỆM AN TOÀN VỆ SINH THỰC PHẨM QUỐC GIA

From 29/10/2024 to 30/10/2024, the National Institute for Food Control – Ministry of Health participated in the 25th Meeting of The ASEAN Food Testing Laboratory Committee (AFTLC), in Da Nang, Vietnam. The meeting was attended by ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the delegation of Timor-Leste.

Figure 1. All delegates at the Meeting

Ms. Laila Rabaah Ahmad Suhaimi, Deputy Director of Laboratory Branch, Food Quality and Safety Program, Ministry of Health Malaysia chaired and moderated the 25th Meeting of the ASEAN Food Testing Laboratory Committee to discuss and agree on several contents as follows:

1. Summary of the follow-up work from the 24th Meeting of the ASEAN Food Testing Laboratory Committee.

2. Report on the monitoring activities of ASEAN Food Reference Laboratories (AFRL), including: (a) Direct assessment of AFRL of food additives, AFRL of food contact materials, AFRL of environmental contaminants, AFRL of marine biotoxins and scromboids and (b) Arrangement of the next 5-year direct assessment cycle for the remaining AFRLs.

3. New Updates to the AFTLC Manual, including (a) AFTLC expert requirements, (b) Some proposals to amend the reference criteria for the Pool of Experts and (c) Update the list of experts.

Figure 2. The Vietnamese delegations, with the Head being Assoc. Prof. Tran Cao Son PhD., Deputy Director of the National Institute for Food Control (far left)

4. Activities of ASEAN Food Reference Laboratories (AFRL)

4.1. For new fields of interest:

(a) Notification of the establishment of the AFRL on nuclear radiation,

(b) Establish a new field of AFRL for contaminants in processed foods and announce the beginning of receiving applications from interested member states,

(c) Discuss the need for AFRL in the field of species identification.

4.2. Reports on 5 years of operation of current AFRLs, including:

(a) AFRL for Mycotoxin – Singapore

(b) AFRL for Food Additives - Indonesia

(c) AFRL for Food Contact Materials - Thailand

(d) AFRL for Environmental Contaminants – Singapore

(e) AFRL for Marine Biotoxins and Scombrotoxin - Singapore

(f) AFRL for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) – Malaysia

(g) AFRL for Heavy Metals and Trace Elements – Thailand

(h) AFRL for Veterinary Drugs residue – Thailand

(i) AFRL for Pesticide Residues – Singapore

(j) AFRL for Food Microbiology – Vietnam

5. Introduce the 5th issue of the AFTLC Bulletin and the work plans for the next session, accordingly, the 5th draft on outstanding activities of AFRLs was presented by Singapore at the meeting, then the 6th draft will be led by Vietnam as the focal point and presented at the next meeting. In addition, the ASEAN Secretariat will disseminate the updated draft AFTLC Work Plan to ASEAN member states for additional comments.

The meeting acknowledged the progress made by the ASEAN Verification Laboratories. At the meeting, delegates from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand expressed their appreciation to Vietnam for hosting the meeting, and also thanked the ASEAN Secretariat for facilitating and supporting the meeting.

The National Institute for Food Control has participated in the AFTLC as the Head of the Vietnamese Delegation since 2010 and has made significant progress, including improving the capacity of food safety testing and assessment; participating in many training courses and professional seminars, helping to improve the professional qualifications of food testing officers; appoint experts to participate in AFRL assessment delegations; establish and maintain close cooperative relationships with international laboratories and organizations, contributing to the sharing of knowledge and experience in the field of food safety. These achievements have been contributing to enhancing Vietnam's reputation in the field of food safety, ensuring public health, and sustainable development in ASEAN.