(VOVworld) - Australian food safety experts have shared their knowledge and experiences with Vietnamese officials during the Vietnam – Australia food safety forum in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said food safety has always been a major concern for the Vietnamese government, ministries and sectors, in an effort to implement the National Strategy on Food Safety for the period of 2011-2020 with a vision to 2030: “In the context of trade liberalization and global economic integration, the agricultural sector needs to raise its competitiveness by raising the quality and added value of products and food safety. The forum is a good opportunity for delegates to understand and share information about management and regulations on food safety. It will further boost the Vietnam-Australia partnership and their bilateral cooperation in food and agriculture”.

Australia’s ambassador to Vietnam, Hugh Borrowman, said Australia is willing to transfer expertise to Vietnam and support the government in improvements to food safety standards, modernizing food processing industries, and delivering health and economic benefits to the country. Australia is a leading supplier of premium food and agricultural produce to the world and is well known for its “clean, green and safe” reputation.