VIỆN KIỂM NGHIỆM AN TOÀN VỆ SINH THỰC PHẨM QUỐC GIA

 

Following the a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies (FBSI), Russia and the National Institute for Food Control, Vietnam (NIFC) signed in 2018 in accordance with the Framework of the Government of the Russian Federation order implementation, dated of 19.08.2017 No. 1789-p on the provision of scientific, methodological, material and technical support to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to counter the threats of infectious diseases and the risks associated with hazardous chemicals, the joint work between the FBSI and the NIFC have been carried out since then.

The MoU on program scientific research on food testing methods focuses on the rise of unexpected contaminants in food, which may have harmful effects on human health. N-nitrosamines were chosen to be the targeted compounds for risk assessment to children under 36 months of age in Perm, Russia and Hanoi, Vietnam by the two Institutes.

* In 2018, in accordance with this plan of the MoU, the following activities and outcomes were achieved. 

- As well as the workshop on R&D implementation "Assessment of the risk to public health due to the content of harmful substances in food products", the MOU signing ceremony was held at the head office of the National Institute for Food Control and the further plan for the implementation of the research work ("Roadmap") was developed.

- The two Institutes sent specialists to Russia and Vietnam to collect food samples for research (13 samples of children's cereals and canned meat and vegetables for children collected in Vietnam; 7 samples of meat, meat and vegetables products for children collected in Russia). A comparative assessment of the methods of sample preparation for N-nitrosoamines analysis was presented at the laboratory of the NIFC and the FBSI.

- The joint researches on the quantitative determination of the content of chemicals in selected samples of baby food products using mass spectrometry were held both at the NIFC and FBSI. A technology for assessing the actual consumption of food products for children has been developed and approved. A harmonized questionnaire has been created for assessing the actual consumption of food products for children in Vietnam and Russia.

- In Hanoi, the seminar on "Food samples preparing method prior the chemical analysis using the Sepaths automatic solid-phase extraction system followed by chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis" took place with the participance of 14 specialists of the NIFC, 1 specialist from the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre and 4 specialists from the FBSI.

- On-the-job training on "Food samples preparing method prior the chemical analysis using the Sepaths automatic solid-phase extraction system followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis" was held in Perm with the attendance of 2 specialists from the NIFC (during December 17-21, 2018).

- From 4-5 October 2018, the NIFC organized the Food Control Conference 2018 in Hanoi. Two scientists from the FBSI participated in the conference. Dr. Nurislamova T.V., Head of the Department of Analytical Chemistry Analysis of FBSI, made on the topic "The Experience of the Russian Federation in the development of methods for controlling the N-nitrosoamine level in food (baby canned meat)".

- In Hanoi, a workshop on planning work on assessing the actual consumption of food products for children took place within the framework of R&D “Assessment of the risk to public health caused by the content of harmful substances in food products”.

* In 2019, there were some join-works carried out, as follows:

- The advanced trainings "Assessment of chemical contamination of food products in accordance with the methods developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the EAEU”, "Mathematical modeling in assessing the health risk caused by the content of harmful substances in food" and the seminar on "Methods for controlling food consumption in the Russian Federation and Vietnam" were held at the NIFC, Hanoi, Vietnam.

- Two scientists from the National Institute for Food Control took part in the conference "Topical Issues of Risk Analysis in Ensuring the Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-Being of the Population and Protection of Consumer Rights" in Perm. Dr. Vu Thi Trang, Head of Laboratory of Nutrients and Food Additives of the NIFC presented the topic on “Dietary risk assessment of food additives a case study in Vietnam”

- Completion of research work on the topics “Research of the volume of food products consumption in the RF and Vietnam”, “Assessment of health risks (by the example of the content of nitrosamines in baby food)”. The results of three consistently implemented research projects in 2018-2019 showed the presence of nitrosamines content in products for baby food (canned meat, cereals for instant cooking), the volume of consumption of these products and the levels of health risk associated with them.
The content of nitrosamines in canned meat for health risk of Vietnamese people is preliminarily characterized as negligible, the risk associated with the content of nitrosamines in cereals - as high.

* In 2020, some activities were established with great success.

- The R&D “Revealing and identification of the hazard of undeclared and unintentionally present chemicals in food products” was carried out. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, face-to-face training events between the two institutes were impossible. As planed, 7 online consultations on methodological approaches to the selection of food products for undeclared and unintentionally present chemicals, and fundamental methodological approaches to the selection of food products were implemented.

- During May 13-20, 2020, the online International Conference "Health Risk Analysis - 2020 in conjunction with the International Meeting on Environment and Health" RISE-2020 " and the Round Table on Food Safety "Ensuring food safety in the CIS countries and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" took place with the paticipation of NIFC’s specialists.  

Following the results of the scientific conference in the journal "Health Risk Analysis" No. 3, 2020, the articles were published: * Isolation and description of staphylococcus aureus causing two widespread outbreaks of food poisoning in Vietnam. The authors: Lam Quoc Hung, Huong Minh Nguyen, Ta Thi Yen, Le Vinh Hoa, Tran Hong Ba, Pham Le Quyen, Do Thi Thu Huong, Nguyen Thanh Trung, Le Thi Hong Hao. https://journal.fcrisk.ru/2020/3/17 * Exposure assessment and risk characterization of n-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in the diet of children aged six months to three years in Hanoi, Vietnam. The authors: Tran Cao Son, Nguyen Thi Thanh Lam, Vu Ngoc Tu, Bui Quang Dong, Le Thi Hong Hao, Luu Quoc Toan, N.A. Lebedev-Nesevrya. https://journal.fcrisk.ru/2020/3/10

In addition, 2 articles by staffs of the NIFC on food safety issues were published:        * Isolation and identification of β-lactamase producing Pseudomonas spp. In ready-to-eat table greens Nguyen Thanh Trung, Huong Nguyen Minh, Pham Thi Loan, Le Thi Hong Hao, Ta Thi Yen ("Health Risk Analysis" No. 1-2020) https://journal.fcrisk.ru/2020/1/11 * "The Staphylococcus aureus  exposure in the collective kitchens at some primary schools in Hanoi, Vietnam" Nguyen Thi Giang, Nguyen Thanh Trung, Le Thi Hong Hao, Pham Xuan Da, Pham The Hai (Conference).

On the whole, the joint work between National Insitute for Food Control, Vietnam and Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies, Russia for 2018 – 2020 has contributed to the cooperation of the two countries on scientific research on countering the threats of infectious diseases and the risks related to hazardous chemicals. It is expected for further developed collaboration between the two Institutes in the next stages.