Information on the investigation into the 'Miss Bich's toad bread' poisoning case

Photo caption — Co Bich's Toad Bread Shop at 112A Nguyen Thai Son has temporarily closed after many people were hospitalized due to food poisoning. Photo: Dinh Hang/VNA

Accordingly, common ingredients in sandwiches such as pate, cold cuts, butter, pickles... if not properly preserved will pose a potential risk of food safety, possibly leading to poisoning. Therefore, production and business establishments must strictly comply with regulations on conditions for processing, preserving, transporting and distributing food.

The City Food Safety Department said it will continue to strengthen propaganda and guide officers in charge of food safety at wards and communes to raise awareness and propaganda skills for people and businesses. Along with that, the work of inspecting and supervising compliance with food safety regulations at establishments will also be strengthened, especially in the group of processed foods, street foods and small businesses.

According to information from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health , since November 5, many people have shown signs of stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever after eating bread under the brand name "Banh mi toa co Bich". As of 12:00 on November 12, 316 cases of digestive disorders have been recorded after eating bread at two Banh mi toa co Bich establishments. Of these, 252 people have been discharged from the hospital, and 64 people are being treated at hospitals in the city.

The health condition of the victims is currently stable. Only one severe case is being treated in intensive care at Gia Dinh People's Hospital. The victim had many underlying diseases such as pneumonia, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and has been taken off the ventilator, had the endotracheal tube removed, and is currently continuing to breathe oxygen through the nose.

Test results of the victims' samples at Gia Dinh People's Hospital showed the presence of Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella spp., which are agents that can cause food poisoning. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has directed hospitals and the City's Center for Disease Control to coordinate with the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) to continue culturing microorganisms and sequencing the genes of isolated bacteria strains to clearly identify the origin, cause and factors related to this cluster of cases.

Also in a press response, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety said that food safety inspection and supervision in the area is always carried out regularly and strictly. Every year, the Department conducts periodic inspections according to plan for food production and business establishments and food service establishments.

When there are signs of violations, incidents or complaints related to food safety, the Department will conduct surprise inspections and strictly handle them according to regulations. These activities aim to ensure proactive prevention, timely detection and containment of food safety risks, and protect the health of consumers.

For suspected food poisoning cases, the Department closely coordinates with the City Department of Health in receiving information, investigating and handling. As soon as an incident occurs, the Department requests medical examination and treatment facilities to review and count the number of related victims; at the same time, promptly establish an Investigation Team, coordinate with the People's Committees of wards and communes and relevant agencies to synchronously deploy measures to verify, investigate the cause and handle the incident in accordance with the provisions of Decision No. 39/2006/QD-BYT on "Regulations on investigation of food poisoning".

In the coming time, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to strengthen propaganda, inspection and closer supervision of food business activities, especially during periods of erratic weather changes, increasing the risk of food poisoning.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-de-quan-tam/thong-tin-ve-cong-tac-dieu-tra-vu-ngo-doc-banh-mi-coc-co-bich-20251113181606762.htm