On the evening of August 28, the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) issued a document requesting the Hanoi Department of Health to urgently verify, inspect and handle information related to Ba Lan Supermarket and TRON Transportation Company.
The move was made after the Department received citizens' complaints about the trading of smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, and hand-carried goods at the Polish Supermarket and the import activities of TRON Transport Company.
Through reviewing the products reflected, the Food Safety Department discovered 11 applications for registration of product announcements that were not consistent with the products issued according to the Department's dossiers.
The list attached to the official dispatch shows that many health protection food products under the Ostrovit brand are reflected to use certificates that do not match the products issued by the Food Safety Department according to the corresponding certificate number.
Specifically, document number 1648/2021/ĐKSP is reflected to be associated with products Creatine Ostrovit, Creatine monohydrate and Magnesium citrate 400 mg + B6. However, according to the Department's dossier, this document belongs to Elasten health protection food product, announced by Elasten Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Similarly, document number 5221/2024/ĐKSP is reflected to be associated with Ostrovit Omega 3 D3 + K2, while the product issued by the Department according to this document number is Calci Lipocan Brios.
No. 186/2024/ĐKSP is reflected to be associated with Ostrovit Vitamin D3 4000 + K2, but the Department's dossier shows that this is a TW3 BLOOD FAT product.
Some other cases also have inconsistencies. Paper number 4245/2023/ATTP-XNCB is reflected attached to Caffeine 200 mg, while the issued dossier is STAR MEN. Paper number 7742/2024/DKSP is reflected attached to Ostrovit Zinc Picolinate, but the product issued according to the paper number is OSTROVIT® OMEGA 3 EXTREME.
The list also includes products such as CLA+Greentea+L-Carnitine, ZMAdvanced, Ostrovit Ashwagandha vege and Ostrovit L-theanine.
Request to inspect Polish Supermarket, Transportation Company TRON
From the review results, the Food Safety Department proposed that the Hanoi Department of Health direct the inspection of import and business activities of food related to Ba Lan Supermarket and TRON Transportation Company.
This agency requests strict handling of violations if detected; in case there are signs of crime, transfer the case to the Police agency for handling according to regulations.
The inspection results are also proposed to be announced in the mass media. The Hanoi Department of Health must report the results to the Food Safety Department before September 15, 2026.
Request e-commerce platform to remove products
The Food Safety Department proposed to review related products in the e-commerce environment.
According to the Food Safety Department, the products in the list of 11 cases discovered are being advertised and traded on the Shopee exchange. This agency requests Shopee to stop trading and remove information for related products, and report the implementation results before September 10, 2026.
The Food Safety Department also requested the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) to notify e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and stalls, requesting them to stop business and remove information about violating products if any.
The Food Safety Department notes that health protection food must be registered for a declaration at the Department before circulating on the market according to regulations.
The Food Safety Department has not issued a final conclusion on the origin, quality or violation of each product, organization, and individual involved. Whether the products violate or not will be determined through the inspection and verification process of functional agencies.
