Vietnam: Vietnam Extends the Lists of Permissible Food Additives and Flavors

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MOH) issued Circular 17/2023 amending several regulations on food additives, flavors, and processing aids. This Circular includes the adoption of the list of food additives and their maximum use levels (MLs) provided in the latest version of the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) CODEX STAN 192-1995. In addition, Vietnam allows the use of flavors that have been evaluated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) or recognized as GRAS by the American Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) or approved by the European Union. Vietnam also renews the list of processing aids allowed for food use. Circular 17/2023 took effect on November 9, 2023.