The Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) has sent a document to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety regarding the investigation and handling of a suspected food poisoning case due to street food in the area, and at the same time requested to strengthen measures to prevent and combat food poisoning.
According to initial information, from February 27 to March 1, 2026, Hanh Thong ward (Ho Chi Minh City) recorded many cases requiring hospitalization with symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever after eating bread at a street food business. The cases are suspected to be related to food poisoning.
Faced with the above developments, the Food Safety Department requested the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety to urgently direct functional units to implement many urgent measures.
First of all, hospitals with patients undergoing treatment need to focus resources, actively rescue, and not let it affect the health and lives of patients.
At the same time, functional agencies must organize investigations and trace the origin of food to clearly identify the source of raw materials suspected of causing poisoning; take food and pathogen samples for testing to find the cause; strictly handle violations of food safety regulations (if any).
The Food Safety Department also requested to strengthen propaganda and guidance on food safety knowledge in production, business and consumption, especially for street food, traditional food, and food according to local customs. People are advised to only use food and ingredients of clear origin; do not use expired food or food with abnormal signs.
In addition, units need to strictly implement the contents directed in Directive 38/CT-TTg dated October 11, 2024 of the Prime Minister on strengthening food poisoning prevention, and the official letters of the Ministry of Health on ensuring food safety and preventing and combating fake food.
Functional agencies of Ho Chi Minh City are required to closely monitor the developments of the case, make quick reports according to regulations; proactively provide information, soon publicize the investigation results to warn of risks to the community; and report the results to the Food Safety Department.
The specific cause of the incident is being clarified.
