Strengthen inspection and strictly handle fake food businesses.

Authorities inspect liquid nutritional food products (ready-to-mix) distributed by European Health Care Company Limited, Lien Bao Ward (Vinh Yen). Photo: Kim Ly

The case of nearly 600 fake milk powder brands targeting patients and children with revenue of up to 500 billion VND at Rance Pharma International Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, Hacofood Group Pharmaceutical Nutrition Joint Stock Company ( Hanoi ) has just been exposed by the police force, revealing serious loopholes in food quality management and product post-inspection. This is a sophisticated production line with a widespread distribution network, deceiving consumers with advertising tricks that exaggerate the effects.

Immediately after the incident was discovered, the Ministry of Health requested localities to review companies in the fake milk production chain that had declared their products and circulated their products in the area.

The results of the review under the direction of the Ministry of Health in Vinh Phuc show that from 2021 to 2023, the Vinh Phuc branch of Rance Pharma International Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company and Hacofood Group Pharmaceutical Nutrition Joint Stock Company submitted 215 sets of product registration dossiers. From 2024 to present, the Department of Health has not accepted dossiers from these two companies.

Along with the review work, the Department of Health has issued a decision to inspect and post-inspecte the compliance with legal regulations at food production and trading establishments under the management authority of the health sector in the province in the form of surprise inspections.

In order to carry out the above tasks, the inspection and post-inspection team on compliance with legal regulations at food production and trading establishments chaired by the Department of Health has just inspected two enterprises in Vinh Yen city.

Inspecting ION International Nutrition Company Limited in Dong Tam ward, the inspection team found no products in the warehouse, no production activities of ready-to-mix powdered milk and health protection nutritional products as registered for business, so it was not possible to compare the labeling of food products that had been produced and put on the market.

Therefore, the inspection team requested the company to present a list of products the company is producing; a list of the company's agents and distributors; product declaration records and legal records on food safety (FS) for food ingredients remaining in the company's warehouse. The inspection team continued to strengthen monitoring and traceability of food products of this enterprise.

At European Health Care Company Limited, Lien Bao Ward, the company distributes 53 products with 3 groups of powdered nutritional products, liquid nutritional supplements, and liquid nutritional products (ready-to-mix) for adults and children.

The inspection team inspected business registration, registration of distributed products and documents and papers according to the provisions of law, checked labels and declared nutritional content of some products distributed by the company, and visited the actual production process of dairy products at the partner unit of European Health Care Company Limited, Vietnam Milk and Beverage Joint Stock Company, Ba Thien II Industrial Park (Binh Xuyen).

Although no violations of food safety regulations were detected at the time of inspection, members of the inspection team requested the company to proactively take samples to test the quality and safety indicators of food products distributed by the company; continue to present records, documents, and legal records on food safety for food ingredients to the inspection team.

Comrade Dao Anh Thai, Head of the Food Safety Department (Department of Health) said: “From April 17 to the end of July 2025, the inspection team chaired by the Department of Health will conduct inspections of 36 food production and trading establishments. Management, post-inspection, and detection of poor quality dairy products and health protection products or counterfeit goods produced and distributed on the market face many difficulties due to the sophisticated tricks of the subjects. When conducting actual inspections at some establishments, at the time of inspection, no product samples were found in the warehouse or the products had just been produced but had not been tested enough according to the unit's standards, so it was difficult to obtain product samples for testing.

During the inspection, the inspection team disseminated and popularized legal regulations, raised awareness and knowledge of food safety for business owners. When violations are detected, products will be recalled and reported to the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Health for handling in accordance with the law.

In order to ensure the strictness of the law, recently, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 3593 requesting departments, branches and sectors to coordinate to strengthen the effective implementation of inspection and examination work, focusing on detecting raw materials of unknown origin, fake food, fake milk, fake health protection foods, poor quality food, products that have not carried out self-declaration procedures, and registered declarations on the market.

Strengthen information and propaganda on legal regulations on food safety to raise awareness and knowledge of consumers in choosing and using foods to protect their health and that of their families.

Quynh Huong

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/tin-tuc/Id/128207/Tang-cuong-kiem-tra-xu-ly-nghiem-cac-co-so-kinh-doanh-thuc-pham-gia