Ho Chi Minh City is inspecting cigarette shops.

(Dan Tri) - The Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety affirmed that, despite conducting inspections, the authorities can still make surprise visits if they discover that the cigarette butt business is acting in a counterproductive manner.

On the afternoon of May 7, speaking with Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Director of the Department of Food Safety of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Department's Inspectorate is conducting a series of inspections and taking samples for testing of businesses and establishments that process pig intestines, after a clip of a restaurant advertising a 40m long, 5.8kg pig intestine string appeared, causing a stir on social networks.

According to the reporter's source, at noon of the same day, Food Safety Management Team No. 6 (in charge of Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Binh Tan districts) and related authorities inspected Long Chat restaurant on Hong Lac street, Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City.

The inspection is still in progress according to the procedure, there is no final conclusion yet.

According to Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, it is possible that when the information about the incident is widely published in the media, the floating cigarette butt businesses will intentionally announce that they are "out of stock". Therefore, the authorities can return to the facilities for surprise inspections if they discover any countermeasures.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety is conducting simultaneous inspections of establishments trading and processing pig offal (Illustration photo: TH).

On May 6, answering the press on the sidelines of the National Assembly , Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan commented that the widespread sale of cigarette intestines could be an act of commercial fraud to increase profits, because this type of intestine is rare and difficult to find on the market.

Therefore, this agency will conduct inspections, trace the origin, take samples for testing at facilities, to see if there are any violations or detect illegal additives.

Previously, social networks spread a video of a 40m long, 5.8kg pipe cart at a restaurant.

This video later caused controversy when many people doubted its authenticity. Many people thought that this dish was made from ordinary pig intestines and soaked in chemicals that are harmful to health.

Many chefs also posted on social media calling on people to stop eating pipe intestines, because it is not safe.

Nutrition experts recommend that to meet the increasing demand from the market, in addition to natural cigarette butts, some establishments bleach the butts with hydrogen peroxide to remove odors and brighten the color, then use alum and diluted formalin to create crispness and keep the butts from decomposing.

In addition, the core can be mixed with industrial glue or used with a mucosal lubricant to fix the eye-catching round shape.

According to nutritionist Nguyen Thu Ha, formalin is a chemical banned from use in food processing because it can be toxic to the liver and kidneys and is a group 1 carcinogen (according to the classification of the World Health Organization - WHO).

Alum (aluminum sulfate) is also not recommended for use in food. Because aluminum can accumulate in the body, affect the nervous system and is thought to be related to diseases such as Alzheimer's.

To ensure health when consuming dishes made from pig intestines, doctors recommend that people should choose products sold at reputable addresses with clear origins, and proactively process them at home to control food hygiene and safety.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/tphcm-dang-kiem-tra-cac-quan-long-xe-dieu-20250507153407082.htm