CP Vietnam pork and chicken accused of disease: Consumers are cautious

On May 30, information spread on social media accusing the Vietnamese government of releasing diseased pork and chicken to the market, causing a stir in public opinion. Businesses immediately refuted this, while authorities conducted surprise inspections and consumers temporarily became wary of products bearing this brand.

Make a record, seal and temporarily detain the items

In response to the above accusations, CP Vietnam Company (CP) issued a press release, affirming that the information being circulated is false and slanderous. CP Vietnam said that the images accompanying the article are of unknown origin and time and are not products of the company. CP Vietnam commits that all products are strictly controlled according to veterinary procedures and food safety standards, ensuring quality before being put on the market.

Immediately after the information spread, on the afternoon of May 30, the interdisciplinary inspection team of Soc Trang province suddenly inspected CP Fresh Shop My Xuyen. At the time of inspection, the facility presented all documents related to the animal products it was trading. However, the food safety certificate of the business location had expired since March 8. The facility also failed to present the original business registration certificate and food safety training certificate of the owner and sales staff.

The management agency has taken samples to test the meat at the FujiMart supermarket system and the quality is guaranteed, so the company is still selling it normally today.

The incident has caused a stir in public opinion, raising concerns about food safety. A survey at several major supermarket chains in Hanoi such as Big C, WinMart, BRG Mart, and Co.opmart on the morning of May 31 showed that meat counters were still being sold normally, including products bearing the CP Vietnam brand. However, according to records, the purchasing power of CP Vietnam pork products has decreased slightly compared to previous days.

According to the reporter of Voice of Vietnam Electronic Newspaper, pork prices remain stable at major retail systems. Specifically, at WinMart supermarket system, pork prices range from 119,922 VND/kg (minced meat) to 163,122 VND/kg (belly). WinMart supermarket representative said that the supermarket does not import pork and chicken from CP Vietnam, so the prices of pork and chicken products at the supermarket system remain the same.

Consumers temporarily "avoid" the product

At the FujiMart supermarket system, although this system mainly imports CP Vietnam products, employees said that on the afternoon of May 30, the management agency took samples to test meat at the FujiMart supermarket system and the quality was guaranteed, so today the company still sells normally. Except for ground and processed meat, which are discounted, the prices of other pork products remain the same. Employees said that the supermarket system in the north consumes about 1,000-2,000 pigs/day.

Meanwhile, at the BRG Mart supermarket system, the price of CP Vietnam pork remains the same. When asked about the information that CP Vietnam was accused of bringing diseased pork and chicken to the market, the supermarket staff said that CP Vietnam had issued a document confirming that the information spread was false, so BRG Mart supermarket still sells it normally.

According to the reporter's observation, at supermarkets, the number of customers asking to buy CP Vietnamese pork is not much, some people have switched to choosing products of other brands or completely switched to fish and chicken.

Although the supermarket staff reassured her that the supermarket's CP Vietnam meat products were always safe and that samples had been taken by the management agency for testing yesterday afternoon, Ms. NTM in Dong Da was still hesitant and decided to switch to buying fish in exchange for buying meat.

Ms. NTM said that in the past, her family often chose to buy pork supplied by CP Vietnam because they trusted the brand and the company's quality control process. However, after social media spread information related to suspected sick pork and chicken, although not fully verified, she felt worried. "I know that supermarkets check and manage strictly, but consumers are confused when they hear bad news. Although the staff explained, I was still not assured, so today I switched to buying fish and vegetables for safety," Ms. M shared.

In a context where consumers are increasingly concerned about food safety, any negative information, whether true or false, can have a strong impact on purchasing behavior. Therefore, public disclosure of inspection results and transparent handling by authorities is necessary to restore public trust and protect legitimate businesses.

Source: https://baohungyen.vn/thit-lon-ga-cp-viet-nam-bi-to-mac-benh-nguoi-tieu-dung-than-trong-3181522.html