Scope
QCVN 20-1:2024/BYT applies to health supplements, not to all foods and not to seafood as a general commodity. Seaweed and bivalve ingredients matter only to the conditional cadmium tier within the health-supplement rule.
Exact limits
| Analyte | Scope | Maximum level |
|---|---|---|
| Total arsenic | Health supplements | 5.0 mg/kg or mg/L |
| Inorganic arsenic | Health supplements; monitor when total arsenic exceeds 1.5 mg/kg or mg/L | 1.5 mg/kg or mg/L |
| Cadmium | Contains ingredients from seaweed or bivalve molluscs | 3.0 mg/kg or mg/L |
| Cadmium | Does not contain ingredients from seaweed or bivalve molluscs | 1.0 mg/kg or mg/L |
| Lead | Health supplements | 10.0 mg/kg or mg/L |
| Total mercury | Health supplements | 0.5 mg/kg or mg/L |
Effective date and transition
The rule took effect on 1 August 2025. A limited sell-through provision applies to products registered and manufactured before that date, subject to the food-safety-warning exception in the Circular.
Sources
Update history
This page has no substantive edit history yet. Future revisions will be recorded here once the change lands in git.