Donated Rice Suspected of Causing Food Poisoning

Poor families in the central province of Quang Nam have suffered from mass food poisoning after eating rice donated by a local charity group. Ho Van Chieng, chairman of Phuoc Tra Commune, said Hiep Duc District's Association for Victims of Agent Orange gave 30 Tet gifts for poor people in the area. Each set of gift include 10kilos of rice, a bottle of fish sauce, a bottle of cooking oil and one pack of flavour enhancer, monosodium glutamate. 26 sets were sent to the people in Village 6 and four were sent to Village 3 on January 20. Two days later many people in Village 6 showed signs of food poisoning after eating the rice, three people had to be sent to local medical centres. Suspecting about the quality of the rice, some households feed the rice to their poultry and said their pigs died while their chickens were sick. The rice sent for analysis. Phan Quang Dung, head of Quang Nam Province's Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department said they sent officials to test the rice. Hiep Duc District's Association for Victims of Agent Orange provided 100 gift sets to poor people. The incident has only affected Phuoc Tra Commune so far. (http://www.dtinews.vn/ Jan 28)