More Food Samples in Vietnam Found Unsafe to Human Heath

Vietnamese authorities have uncovered more and more food and foodstuff samples tainted with banned substances, which are posing great threats to people’s health, warned experts. The environmental police detected 500 cases of smuggled chicken and destroyed 127 tons of chicken, more than 46 tons of poultry meat and hundreds of thousands of eggs and chicken in the first half of this year. After testing nearly 34,000 food samples, health watchdogs found around 5,700 samples containing large quantities of borax, formaldehyde, colorants and preservatives exceeding permitted levels. The Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health said that smuggled chickens, especially from China, contain antibiotics, harmful vaccines and growth stimulants that could be very harmful to health. In addition, tests conducted by the Center for Consumption Study and Consultation (CESCON) found that 80% of the total 30 samples of rice noodle varieties from supermarkets and traditional markets contain Tinopal-a fluorescent whitener used in detergent powders and liquids. Tinopal intake can cause liver and kidney failure, body fatigue, gastrointestinal damage, and even cancer, experts said, advising consumers to use ultraviolet light to check the quality of suspected rice noodles. In Vietnam, food safety issues have not been addressed properly. Despite warnings of health watchdogs, many kinds of food such as vegetables, fruits, meats, milk and alcohol found to be contaminated with banned toxic agents are still sold widely amid lax control of authorities. Vietnamese lawmakers earlier called on the public to boycott harmful goods that are flooding the domestic market to protect people’s health, adding that tougher fines should be imposed on the violators to serve as a warning for others. (Sai Gon Giai Phong – Saigon Liberation July 22, Nong Nghiep Viet Nam – Vietnam Agriculture July 23)