Step up the fight against counterfeit and poor quality goods

Ms. NTX in Song Cau town used a syringe to inject impurities (agar) into dead lobsters. Photo: Phu Yen market management force

Multiple violations detected

Since the beginning of June, the market management force (Department of Industry and Trade) has inspected, detected and handled many violations. Specifically, on June 5, Market Management Team No. 5 (Phu Yen Market Management Department) suddenly inspected the food business establishment of Mr. NVQ (Ward 9, Hai Rieng Town, Song Hinh District), discovering that the establishment did not register to establish a business household in cases where registration is required according to regulations. The team also discovered that the establishment was selling 80kg of various types of frozen pork (worth 9.6 million VND), but there were no invoices or documents proving the legality of the origin of the goods. The market management force drew up a record of the violation with a fine of 15.5 million VND and forced the destruction of the 80kg of food mentioned above.

Market Management Team No. 4 (Phu Yen Market Management Department) in coordination with the Economic Police Department (Provincial Police) recently inspected the NTX seafood business establishment, which trades and purchases lobsters in Song Cau Town, owned by Ms. NTX; and discovered that Ms. NTX directly used a syringe to inject impurities (agar) into 45kg of dead lobsters. Ms. NTX also confessed to purchasing dead lobsters and then injecting impurities into the lobsters to sell on the market.

The Department of Industry and Trade also coordinates with press and media agencies to strengthen propaganda and orient public opinion on the dangers of substandard food as well as the dangers of smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, etc.; promptly commend positive examples and good practices of functional forces and localities; publicly condemn violations.
Mr. Tran Quoc Toan, Deputy Director of Department of Industry and Trade

According to Market Management Team No. 4, the act of injecting impurities to increase the weight of shrimp and keeping shrimp fresh is a visual deception, fraud and affects the health of consumers. In addition, Ms. NTX's business establishment did not register to establish a business household in cases where registration is required according to regulations. Therefore, the unit has temporarily detained the entire quantity of evidence, transferred the file to the People's Committee of Song Cau Town to issue a decision to impose an administrative fine of 11.5 million VND, forcing the owner of the establishment to destroy 45kg of lobsters as evidence of the violation by burying them under the supervision of the authorities. The total value of the destroyed goods is 22 million VND.

Previously, in the case of 7 people hospitalized after eating a buffet on June 4, the Department of Health established a team to inspect the compliance with food safety laws at Pho Dem Phu Yen Company Limited - Pho Dem Vuon Restaurant, Branch 3 (Ward 7, Tuy Hoa City). The inspection team noted that this facility had many shortcomings such as: Not presenting invoices, origin of food ingredients; processing, trading, and preservation places had insects and harmful animals (flies); not ensuring cross-contamination prevention between unprocessed and processed foods in the kitchen layout; not implementing the legal regulations on the 3-step food inspection regime; not implementing the legal regulations on food sample storage; sewers and drainage ditches in the kitchen area were stagnant; there were no tools to collect and contain garbage and waste to ensure hygiene.

The inspection team has requested the facility to cease operations until the above-mentioned shortcomings and limitations are corrected. The Department of Health is currently coordinating with relevant agencies to trace the origin of the food, investigate the cause of the food poisoning and will announce the results once they are available.

Destroyed 80kg of various frozen foods (worth 9.6 million VND) of a food business in Song Hinh district. Photo: Phu Yen Market Management Force

Continue to handle seriously

Also one of the serious violations related to food that attracted the attention of consumers was that on the morning of June 9, the Investigation Police Agency of the Provincial Police issued a decision to prosecute the accused for the crime of producing and trading in counterfeit food products against Ms. Dang Thi Hoa Hiep (born in 1972, registered permanent residence in An Phu ward, Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh city); applied preventive measures by a ban on leaving the place of residence, a ban on leaving the country and conducted a search of the premises of Dai Chung - Da Thao Private Enterprise, which is also the residence of the accused in Phu Thu quarter, Phu Thu town, Tay Hoa district.

According to information from the authorities, Ms. Dang Thi Hoa Hiep is the owner of Dai Chung - Da Thao Private Enterprise, with many business lines, including production, processing and trading of Da Thao coffee. On April 11, the Economic Police Department (Provincial Police) coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Environment and other relevant agencies to conduct an administrative inspection at the facility; discovered that the processing and trading activities of the facility had many unusual signs. The Economic Police Department temporarily seized 6,845 bags of ground coffee (more than 3,455 kg), 1 pickup truck with license plate 78C-064.94 along with many related tools and equipment such as coffee roasting, grinding, mixing machines, packaging machines, printing machines for production dates, expiration dates and many containers of additives...

Through verification, collection of relevant documentary evidence, and request for quality assessment, the Provincial Police Investigation Agency has sufficient grounds to determine that due to the high price of input coffee beans, from December 2024 to mid-April 2025, Dai Chung - Da Thao Private Enterprise adjusted the production formula, reducing the caffeine content in Da Thao coffee products. The total amount of coffee produced by this enterprise during the above period was 21,093 kg, equivalent to 42,187 powdered coffee products of all kinds. When the illegal act was discovered, the enterprise had consumed 17,671 kg, equivalent to 35,342 powdered coffee products, with a total proceeds of nearly 1.3 billion VND; the remaining amount was seized by the Provincial Police Investigation Agency. The business owner admitted that the act of producing and trading Da Thao coffee powder products that do not meet the announced quality standards and counterfeiting the quality is a violation of the law, causing damage to the interests of consumers. Aware of the responsibility for the illegal act, the business owner voluntarily paid 590 million VND to remedy the consequences.

According to Mr. Tran Quoc Toan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, from the initial results of the peak period of the fight to prevent and repel smuggling and counterfeit goods, in addition to the instructions of ministries, branches, provincial People's Committees..., the Prime Minister recently continued to issue Official Dispatch 82/CD-TTg, requesting to continue to strengthen, making the peak period of attack more vibrant and drastic. To continue to promote the fight, prevent, repel, and eventually end smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, substandard food, infringement of intellectual property rights and protect the legitimate and legal rights and interests of people and businesses, the Prime Minister requested to focus on directing the synchronous, drastic, and effective implementation of the proposed tasks and solutions. At the local level, the Department of Industry and Trade has been coordinating with relevant functional agencies, directing market management forces to strengthen inspections, mobilizing the business community and people to actively and responsibly participate in the fight to detect early and prevent right from the base, from the point of origin. The Department has also established a team and conducted inspections and post-inspections of food safety at a number of production and business establishments in the area under the management of the industry.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/kinh-te/202506/day-manh-cao-diem-dau-tranh-chong-hang-gia-hang-kem-chat-luong-0d41f12/