Hundreds of tons of dried meat are made from ingredients of unknown origin.

From 2020 until being discovered, Vu Thi Huong used more than 1,000 tons of frozen meat to produce about 400 tons of dried meat, earning an estimated more than 100 billion VND.

Dozens of tons of fresh buffalo and pork meat, as well as dried meat products that did not meet food safety and hygiene standards, were being prepared for distribution to the market. (Photo: VNA)

According to the Phu Tho Provincial Police, the Criminal Investigation Agency (of the Provincial Police) has initiated a case, indicted the suspect, and temporarily detained Vu Thi Huong (residing in Vinh Hung commune, Phu Tho province) for the act of producing and trading counterfeit food products.

According to initial information from the investigating agency, having grasped information about the suspects' tactics, Major General Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director of the Phu Tho Provincial Police, directed the Economic Police Department to coordinate with relevant units to conduct a surprise inspection of the production facility of MQ Food One-Member Limited Liability Company (formerly Cuong Huong One-Member Limited Liability Company) in Hamlet 1, Vinh Hung Commune, Phu Tho Province (formerly Dai Dong Commune, Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province), headed by Vu Thi Huong as Director.

Authorities discovered three cold storage facilities containing 30 tons of fresh buffalo and pork meat and 1 ton of fresh sausages; and one finished product storage facility containing 3 tons of dried buffalo meat and 3.4 tons of packaged dried pork.

Nine drying ovens that did not meet food safety and hygiene standards were used to dry meat. (Photo: VNA)

At the time of inspection, the owner of the establishment was unable to present documents proving the origin and source of the food products.

Continuing their inspection of the food production facility owned by Vu Thi Hien (Vinh Hung commune, the older sister of Vu Thi Huong), authorities discovered an additional 300kg of dried meat being packaged, along with two vacuum sealing machines and numerous packaging materials bearing the brand name of Cuong Huong One-Member Limited Liability Company.

Through investigation and verification, the Phu Tho Provincial Police determined that all the raw materials were frozen buffalo and pork imported from India; most of which were of unknown origin and lacked invoices and documentation. Some batches in the cold storage warehouse had a foul odor.

Notably, to gain consumer trust, Huong established a "fictitious" branch called Cuong Huong One-Member Limited Liability Company (later renamed MQ Food One-Member Limited Liability Company) with an address at 22, Alley 15, Lane 200, Minh Khai (formerly Ha Giang City) and printed the phrase "Highland Specialty" on the product packaging, even though the company had no production or business activities in that locality.

In addition, Huong also bought HACCP certification (a system of hazard analysis and critical control points for food, recognized as a food safety quality management system worldwide) printed on product packaging, and designed her own QR code to stick on the packaging, even though she had not registered with the competent authorities.

The packaging and labels read "Highland Specialty," but the main ingredients are of substandard quality. (Photo: VNA)

Through this scheme, from 2020 until her arrest, Vu Thi Huong used over 1,000 tons of frozen meat to produce approximately 400 tons of dried meat, earning an estimated more than 100 billion VND.

The case is currently being investigated further by the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Phu Tho Provincial Police to be handled strictly in accordance with the law.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hang-tram-tan-thit-say-kho-duoc-lam-tu-nguyen-lieu-khong-ro-nguon-goc-712230.html