National Accreditation Bureau welcomes the Partners of the Americas (POA) under the USDA Food for Progress Program
On June 3, 2025, the National Accreditation Bureau (BoA) hosted a working session with the Partners of the Americas (POA) in connection with the “Food for Progress” program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Representing POA at the meeting were Ms. Ashley Boddie – sustainable food systems expert; Ms. Shashi Sareen – food safety, quality and nutrition expert; Mr. Dean Smith – agriculture and economic growth expert; Mr. Douglas Steinberg – food and nutrition security expert; and Ms. Tran Thi Ha – facilitator.
On behalf of the National Accreditation Bureau, Dr. Tran Thi Thu Ha – Director, and several officers attended the meeting and received the delegation.
During the meeting, Dr. Tran Thi Thu Ha provided an overview of BoA’s main activities in the field of accreditation in Vietnam. She also shared some of the difficulties and challenges that BoA is currently facing.
BoA expressed its desire for POA to share its implementation experiences and to provide support in developing new accreditation assessment programs in Vietnam, with the aim of enhancing accreditation capacity in the field of food safety.
The POA introduced the objectives and scope of the “Food for Progress” Program – a USDA initiative designed to assist developing countries and emerging economies in modernizing and strengthening their agricultural sectors. Under the program, U.S. agricultural commodities donated to recipient countries are sold on the local market and the proceeds are used to support agricultural, economic, or infrastructure development programs. These efforts aim to improve agricultural productivity and expand trade of agricultural products (domestically, regionally, and/or internationally).
The meeting took place in an open, cooperative, and productive atmosphere, paving the way for potential technical collaboration between POA and BoA in the near future. This partnership is expected to contribute to strengthening national capacity in quality accreditation, particularly in the field of food safety – a critical component of the agricultural value chain and international trade.
