Arrest of former Director of Food Safety Department: When was the company licensed, what did it produce?

A batch of fake functional foods worth up to 100 tons was discovered and seized by the police - Photo: Provided by the police

Regarding the case of dismantling a production and trading ring of hundreds of tons of fake functional foods led by Nguyen Nang Manh, on May 13, the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency (C03) announced that it had issued a decision to prosecute and search warrants for 5 officials of the Food Safety Department, Ministry of Health, for accepting bribes.

When was the factory licensed?

According to the list of establishments that have been granted a certificate of factory meeting the standards for the production of functional foods announced by the Department of Food Safety, MEDIUSA Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, address Lot CN A5, Phu Nghia Industrial Park, Phu Nghia Commune, Chuong My District, Hanoi was granted a license on August 13, 2020 and is valid until August 13, 2023.

This factory produces tablets (compressed, film-coated, sugar-coated), hard capsules, granules, powders, soft capsules, syrups, solutions; preparations containing microorganisms: granules, hard capsules, solutions, suspensions.

Manufacturing plant - MediPhar Joint Stock Pharmaceutical Company, located at Phu Nghia Industrial Park, Phu Nghia Commune, Chuong My District, Hanoi, licensed on December 22, 2020 and valid until December 22, 2023. Produces soft capsules, liquids and liquid probiotic preparations.

According to regulations, the condition for producing functional foods is that the factory must be assessed by the Food Safety Department and granted a GMP certificate with a validity of 3 years.

In addition, the condition for consuming functional foods on the market is that the product must be granted a certificate of product quality standards by the Food Safety Department.

To produce and consume fake functional foods on the market, Nguyen Nang Manh and Do Manh Hoang agreed to pay "lobby" money to the Food Safety Department for product appraisal, post-inspection and licensing.

In order for MEDIUSA and MediPhar factories to be assessed, post-inspected, granted GMP certificates and put into production soon, Manh and Hoang paid the assessment inspection team (chaired by the Food Safety Department) more than 1 billion VND to reduce the number of errors during assessment, to be instructed on how to fix them, and to be given time to fix the errors.

Fake functional foods target the elderly and children

According to the investigation, this group established many different companies. Each company was in charge of a stage in the production process of fake functional foods, from production, packaging, printing to distribution and retail.

The processing takes place in unsanitary facilities, with absolutely no quality control procedures, with floating raw materials that do not ensure safety.

On the outside, a flashy "cloak" is elaborately put on with eye-catching packaging, sophisticated anti-counterfeit stamps, and fake inspection papers. Many products are even disguised as imported goods, labeled "Japanese goods" or "American goods" to deceive consumers.

Packaging and labels are printed with information about imports from the US and Europe, but in fact the raw materials are mainly imported from China or collected illegally in the country.

In terms of quality, many products only achieved less than 30% of the declared quality. When signs of exposure were discovered, the suspects immediately dispersed and destroyed raw materials and products and closed the factory to erase all traces.

Counterfeiters of dietary supplements have targeted the most vulnerable groups: the elderly, children, and patients with underlying diseases, who are always eager to find solutions for their health.

Based on that fragile trust, they launch flowery advertisements such as "supports health enhancement", "reduces bone and joint pain", "enhances memory", "helps children grow taller"..., sowing fragile hope in people's hearts on the basis of fake, poor quality food.

During the process of arresting and searching warehouses and a number of business establishments, the Ministry of Public Security seized an exceptionally large quantity of functional foods, diverse in types, widely distributed throughout the country, with a total of about 100 tons of functional foods seized.

At the police station, defendant Khac Minh Vu confessed that the method of consuming fake functional food products was that this group went directly to meet with pharmaceutical representatives, pharmacies in the provinces, and pharmaceutical distribution companies in the provinces to "offer" and introduce the products.

"This process took many years to get the system we have now," Vu said.

DUONG LIEU - Danh Trong

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bat-nguyen-cuc-truong-cuc-an-toan-thuc-pham-cong-ty-duoc-cap-phep-bao-gio-san-xuat-nhung-gi-2025051317461783.htm