New Zealand and Vietnam have entered a joint Food Safety Cooperation Arrangement aimed at promoting recognition and consistency between the regulatory systems of the two countries. The partnership is meant to increase trade and overall friendly relations between the two countries. The agreement marks 40 years of bilateral relations between both entities. It was signed by Jo Goodhew, New Zealand’s food safety minister (pictured), and Mr. Cao Duc Phat, the Vietnamese minister of agriculture and rural development.

Goodhew says that “the arrangement commits to exchanging information on food safety and agricultural trade laws, simplification of trade certification and collaboration on scientific research and post-graduate education.”

New Zealand exhibits an increasingly growing demand for Vietnam’s food exports with $400 million worth of products being transported just last year.