On the evening of December 20, Mr. Do Ngoc Hoa, Deputy Director of the Quang Ngai Department of Health, informed that based on the analysis results from the Pasteur Nha Trang Institute, the authorities detected Salmonella spp bacteria in samples of beef, pork leg, avocado and green rice chili. In particular, the same plant-based spinach model and the two bacteria Salmonella spp and Bacillus cereus were the cause of 203 people being poisoned after using Hong Van bread in Quang Ngai.
This conclusion was made after the provincial Center for Disease Control took 17 food samples at the head office at 280 Nguyen Nghiem and retail outlets for testing. Comparing with the patient sample, the specialized agency noted similarities when 4 patient feces tested positive for Salmonella, in which one case was infected with Staphylococcus aureus.
The poisoning incident broke out from December 13 to 16, causing hospitals in the area to receive 203 emergency cases. The patient all had severe abdominal pain, vomiting, high fever and diarrhea many times after eating bread at Hong Van chain of stores. Currently, the health of most patients is stable and discharged from the hospital, with only 11 cases being monitored.
Working with the inspection team, Mr. Nguyen Hong, the owner of the facility, admitted to providing all ingredients including sausage, ham, butter, vegetables and bread to the points of sale. However, Mr. Hong could not present invoices proving the origin of the food, lacking health certificates and health safety and hygiene training certificates for employees.
At the production address of 280 Nguyen Nghiem, the authorities recorded the facility operating without a business registration certificate or certificate of food safety eligibility. The processing process here violates the one-sided principle - a mandatory factor to prevent cross-infection from input materials to final products.
In response to a series of violations, the People's Committee of Cam Thanh Ward sealed all exhibits and suspended the operation of this business system. The Quang Ngai Department of Health recommends that local authorities strictly handle food production behavior that causes serious consequences, and at the same time request the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate in providing documents to clarify state management responsibilities for the above facility.
