The Ministry of Trade of Vietnam yesterday announced that Japan had begun
applying the order to inspect 100% of batches of natural shrimp (including
preliminarily treated products) sourced from Vietnam.
The Japanese Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare has decided to inspect 100% of batches of shrimp
imported from Vietnam as it had warned it would. The inspection began on
December 28, 2006. The ministry said that Vietnam-sourced products are found in
continual violation of Japan’s law on food hygiene. Most recently, the agency
discovered Chloramphenicol residues in frozen natural shrimp exported by the Nam
Can Seafood Import – Export Company in Ca Mau Province.
After the violation, Japan
officially ordered the inspection of 100% of shrimp (including preliminarily
treated ones) sourced from Vietnam. As such, all Vietnam-sourced shrimp
products, farmed and natural, are subject to the inspection.
Moreover, the Japanese agency
has also discovered chloramphenicol in dried cuttlefish exported by Nam Hai
Company in Binh Thuan Province. This is the third time Nam Hai’s products have
been discovered as violating the regulations on food hygiene. It is clear that
the number of companies violating the regulations is increasing. Analysts have
warned that if Vietnam does not take drastic measures to stop the violations,
Vietnam will lose Japan’s market.
 The fact that Japan will
examine all the batches of shrimp will make Vietnamese companies suffer.
Director of a HCM City-based company said that in the past, it took him only 3-5
days to get customs clearance for a batch of goods. However, from now on, his
company’s products will only be cleared after 45 days of quality inspections.
As such, Vietnamese enterprises
will incur big additional expenses, while Japanese partners will not dare to
place big orders, they will just buy in small quantities.
Regarding exports to Japan,
Japanese authorities have also decided to inspect 50% of the batches of cashew
nuts exported to the country. The decision was made after the Japan’s Ministry
of Health, Labour and Welfare discovered a batch of fresh cashew nuts exported
by a Lam Dong-based company that contained permethrin. The concentration of the
substance was 0.08 ppm, while the allowed level is just 0.05 ppm.
Japanese authorities have asked
all quarantine stations at border gates to take samples of 50% of cashew nut
exports. Previously, the Japanese agencies just took samples of 5% and cleared
the imports at once. Since December 19, Japanese agencies discovering
consignments containing prohibited substances will order the inspection of 100%
of cashew nut imports from Vietnam.
Source VNN
Article source http://w4rum.com/472.t
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