Following a series of shocking discoveries involving counterfeit milk, monosodium glutamate (MSG), cooking oil, and health supplements, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has issued an urgent directive, warning that the situation has caused alarm among consumers who unknowingly purchased and used these fake products.

On May 6, the Ministry acknowledged that the production and sale of counterfeit food items have become increasingly complex. Notably, fake milk and health supplements have been part of a growing illicit market, endangering consumer health and shaking public confidence.

In response, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen has called on members of the Central Interdisciplinary Steering Committee on Food Safety and the People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to immediately strengthen market supervision and inspection of food products.

Authorities have been instructed to target and trace ingredients of unknown origin, counterfeit and low-quality food, fake nutritional products, and items that have not completed mandatory self-declaration or registration procedures. The goal is to detect and prevent violations promptly and enforce strict penalties.

Deputy Minister Tuyen stressed the need to thoroughly review food safety regulations - particularly those related to milk, nutritional products, and functional foods.

"Relevant agencies should proactively revise or recommend that competent authorities amend existing regulations where necessary to improve the effectiveness of food safety management," he said.

The Ministry also urged enhanced monitoring and enforcement regarding illegal advertising of food products across digital platforms and mainstream media.

On the same day, Dr. Tran Viet Nga, Director of the Vietnam Food Administration, signed an official dispatch to local health departments, Ho Chi Minh City’s Food Safety Authority, the Da Nang City Food Safety Management Board, and food safety sub-departments nationwide.

The directive calls for intensified inspections and post-market reviews of food and functional food advertisements on mass media, social networks, e-commerce websites, and digital marketplaces.

If authorities identify web links or addresses in violation, they are required to publicly disclose them to warn consumers against purchasing from these sources, which may pose serious health and economic risks.

In cases where violators cannot be identified, local authorities are advised to work with relevant regulatory bodies such as the Department of Culture or the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) for platforms like social networks, websites, Facebook, and YouTube, as well as the Department of E-commerce (under the Ministry of Industry and Trade) for digital commerce platforms, to trace responsible parties and enforce the law.

Vo Thu