HÀ NỘI — Many businesses have expressed a desire to continue using packaging printed with their old addresses until the end of this year to minimise waste and align with business licenses that have not yet been updated. 

The Food and Foodstuff Association of Ho Chi Minh City (FFA) said that businesses in the industry were facing difficulties with product packaging.

Specifically, the actual addresses of production facilities have changed since July 1, following the implementation of the two-tier local government system in HCM City.

Meanwhile, packaging for products manufactured from that date had already been printed with the old addresses beforehand. 

Many businesses were in a “dilemma”, noted FFA. On the one hand, using old packaging means incorrect actual addresses, but on the other hand, switching to new packaging is not feasible since business licenses have yet to be updated.

In response to these challenges, the association has submitted an official petition to the HCM City People’s Committee and relevant authorities, requesting resolution of issues related to updating business addresses in accordance with the newly established administrative boundaries.

The association has called on the city to promptly issue flexible guidelines for the transitional period, recognising the legal continuity between old and new addresses.

At the same time, it has proposed support for verifying the adjusted localities to help businesses update international certification documents, such as those from the USFDA, HALAL, ISO, BRC, and others. Without this support, businesses would be forced to restart the entire certification process, which would severely impact export activities.  

Recently, on July 17, the HCM City People’s Committee issued a directive requesting that the municipal Departments of Finance, Food Safety, and Industry and Trade provide urgent guidance and resolve these procedures for businesses.

Lý Kim Chi, FFA chairwoman, stressed that the city's competent authorities must act swiftly to guide and resolve administrative procedures, or else enterprises would face serious difficulties. 

Chi told VOV online newspaper: “If the departments and agencies delay the implementation of these procedures, businesses will suffer. Many companies are now in a holding pattern, hesitant to export. A single procedural error can cause long-term export complications.” — VNS