Dien Bien forced to destroy more than 200kg of goods and food of unknown origin

On the morning of May 21, speaking with a reporter from Nhan Dan Newspaper, Mr. Tran Ngoc Diep, Deputy Chief Inspector of Dien Bien Department of Health , said: After completing the inspection (from April 24 to May 16) of organizations and individuals producing and trading in medicines, health protection foods, and functional foods in Dien Bien Phu city and Dien Bien district, the inspection team concluded that there were 8 establishments in violation.

The goods and foods discovered at these violating establishments included 13 types, mainly chicken feet, sausages (large and small), cakes, candies, pickled radishes and milk. Observing with the naked eye, these foods were all packaged in foreign-printed packaging, but the establishments could not present invoices or documents proving the origin of the products.

The total weight of 13 types of goods and food that must be destroyed is more than 200kg.

Dien Bien forced to destroy more than 200kg of goods and food of unknown origin photo 1

Before the inspection team discovered and forced them to be destroyed, sausages and chicken feet (as in the photo) were openly sold in a supermarket in Dien Bien Phu city.

Discussing the inspection of the quality of goods, food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in the area, Mr. Tran Ngoc Diep said: Inspection has many difficulties, because in reality, the volume of smuggled goods, goods of unknown origin at small businesses is large, but sampling and funding for food sample testing are still limited.

Regarding the types of ready-to-eat foods that were forced to be destroyed, Mr. Tran Ngoc Diep said that, personally, he observed that these products were sold quite commonly at grocery stores around school gates; the main buyers and users were students.

Therefore, at the end of the inspection, the Health Department Inspectorate recommended that the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Steering Committee request the local Food Safety and Hygiene Steering Committee to conduct inspections and handle small businesses around school gates that sell smuggled goods of unknown origin (mainly goods and food with labels in Chinese) because these goods pose a potential risk of not ensuring safety for human health.