Quang Ngai: What did the inspection team discover at Hong Van bakery?

On December 14th, Deputy Director of the Quang Ngai Department of Health , Do Ngoc Hoa, stated that immediately after receiving information from Phuc Hung General Hospital regarding suspected food poisoning cases, the Department of Health directed the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department to coordinate with the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other relevant agencies to urgently investigate, handle, and collect samples for testing to determine the cause.

At the same time, the Department of Health issued a directive to urgently handle suspected cases of food poisoning related to Hong Van bread in Cam Thanh and Nghia Lo wards ( Quang Ngai province).

According to the patients' statements, between 3 PM on December 11th and 8 AM on December 13th, they purchased and consumed sandwiches from stalls displaying the sign "Hong Van Sandwiches".

Around 5 PM on December 11th, the first patient exhibited symptoms such as abdominal pain, frequent diarrhea, vomiting, high fever, and headache. Subsequently, many other cases showed similar symptoms and were taken to Phuc Hung General Hospital, Quang Ngai General Hospital, and Quang Ngai Provincial Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for emergency treatment.

*Patients are being treated for food poisoning at Phuc Hung General Hospital.*

After receiving the information, the inter-agency inspection team conducted an inspection of the bread production facility owned by Mr. Nguyen Hong, located at 280 Nguyen Nghiem Street, Cam Thanh Ward, as well as the Hong Van bread sales points in Cam Thanh and Nghia Lo wards.

During the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Hong admitted that all the bread stalls bearing the name Hong Van in the two wards were supplied with ingredients from his establishment, including various types of sausages (pork and beef), shumai, butter, chili sauce, vegetables, and bread. The stall at 1156 Quang Trung Street, however, is a franchised establishment and does not obtain its vegetables and bread from Mr. Hong.

*The bread production facility owned by Mr. Nguyen Hong supplies ingredients to many shops in Cam Thanh and Nghia Lo wards.*

During the inspection, the task force noted that at the time of the inspection, the owner of the establishment could not present the legal procedures related to food production and business; could not prove the origin of the raw materials; and lacked health examination records and certificates of food safety training for the owner and employees involved in processing and selling the products. The processed meat products also lacked the required product declaration documents.

Notably, the production facility at 280 Nguyen Nghiem Street – where sausages, dumplings, butter, and chili sauce are processed – lacks a business registration certificate and a food safety certificate. The production area does not adhere to the one-way flow principle and is not separated from potential sources of contamination.

Immediately afterwards, the People's Committee of Cam Thanh Ward sealed all remaining food at the bread stalls and at the production facility; and at the same time requested Hong Van bread outlets to temporarily cease operations pending the official conclusion of the authorities.

To date, the Quang Ngai Provincial Center for Disease Control has collected 17 food samples from stalls and production facilities, and also gathered 6 patient samples for testing to determine the cause of the poisoning.

In response to these developments, the Quang Ngai Department of Health has directed specialized units to urgently review and compile statistics on establishments producing and selling loaves of bread with fillings, especially those that both produce and sell bread, and street food vendors; at the same time, they are strengthening training and dissemination of regulations on ensuring food safety to prevent the risk of food poisoning in the future.

To date, the number of cases related to Hong Van bread continues to increase, with Phuc Hung General Hospital receiving 52 cases, and Quang Ngai General Hospital and Quang Ngai Provincial Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital receiving 22 cases each.

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