What is Self-Declaration of Products? Things to Know about Self-Declaration of Products

1. What is product self-declaration?

Product self-declaration is the process in which an organization or individual takes responsibility for publicly disclosing information about their products to consumers and regulatory authorities. This process is commonly applied in the consumer products and food industry.

Product self-declaration requires the organization or individual to conduct their own testing, evaluation, and ensure that their products comply with applicable safety, quality, and technical standards. They also need to prepare relevant documents and information, including a product self-declaration statement and other related materials.

2. Types of self-declared products

Organizations and individuals involved in the production and business of food have the responsibility to self-declare the following types of products: pre-packaged processed food, food additives, food processing aids, food containers, and direct food contact packaging materials, except for products that require registration for product declaration.

However, if a product or raw material is used solely for the production, processing for export purposes, or serving the internal production of an organization or individual without being consumed in the domestic market, there is no need to undergo the product self-declaration procedures.

3. Product self-declaration dossier

The product self-declaration dossier includes the following components:

• Product self-declaration statement using the provided template, including information about the organization or individual making the product self-declaration, product information, product labeling sample, and food safety requirements.

• Food safety test results for the product, issued by a designated testing laboratory or a recognized testing laboratory conforming to ISO 17025 standards. The test results must be valid for a period of 12 months from the submission date of the dossier. The test results should include safety criteria set by the Ministry of Health based on risk management principles in compliance with international regulations, or safety criteria according to relevant standards and regulations disclosed by the organization or individual in cases where there are no specific regulations from the Ministry of Health. The test results can be either the original or a certified copy.

4. Sequence of product self-declaration

The process of product self-declaration is carried out in the following steps:

• The organization or individual conducts the product self-declaration through public information channels or their own electronic information platform. Simultaneously, they publicly display the self-declaration at their headquarters and submit one copy of the declaration via mail or directly to the competent state management agency designated by the provincial People's Committee.

• Immediately after self-declaration, the organization or individual is authorized to manufacture and trade the product, taking full responsibility for the safety of the product.

• The competent state management agency receives the self-declaration statement from the organization or individual for record-keeping and publishes the name of the organization or individual and the self-declared product names on their electronic information platform.

In the case where an organization or individual has two or more production facilities jointly producing the same product, they only need to submit the documentation to one selected local state management agency. Once the state management agency has been chosen for submission, subsequent self-declarations must be submitted to the previously selected agency.

All documents in the self-declaration dossier must be written in Vietnamese. In the case of documents in a foreign language, they must be translated into Vietnamese and certified. The documents must still be valid at the time of self-declaration.

If there are changes in the product's name, origin, or composition, the organization or individual must reissue the self-declaration for that product. For other changes, the organization or individual must provide written notification of the changes to the competent state management agency and are allowed to continue production and business operations immediately after the notification is sent.

5. Choosing a unit to support the implementation of product self-declaration

Vinacontrol understands that the process of registration and self-declaration can be complex and requires attention to important details. Therefore, Vinacontrol will advise and support you in determining the appropriate analytical criteria for your product. At the same time, we will ensure that your dossier is fully prepared and meets all the required regulations.

With Vinacontrol, you can be assured that the process of registering and self-declaring your product will be carried out in a professional and optimized manner, helping you save time and effort. The team of Vinacontrol employees is experienced and ready to support you in preparing the dossier and carrying out the steps of registering and self-declaring your product.

Contact Vinacontrol for consultation: 0243 943 3840.