On January 27, a man named Truong, 47 years old, was temporarily detained by the Economic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police to investigate the crime of Violating regulations on food safety.
Truong confessed that from 2021 to now, he has used about 500 tons of Sodium Silicate (also known as liquid glass) to treat more than 3,000 tons of snail meat before selling, earning billions of VND in profit. This is an industrial chemical specialized in the production of bricks and cement, with strong alkalinity, causing damage to the digestive system and is banned from use in food processing.
Searching the facility, scouts seized more than 1.5 tons of Sodium Silicate. The examination results showed that all snails here were "soaked" in this banned substance.
The incident happened right before the Lunar New Year, further raising concerns about food safety during Tet. This not only shows the disregard for the law of dirty food producers but also reflects the lack of control in food safety and hygiene management. With the aim of profit, many processing facilities have not hesitated to use toxic chemicals to preserve, increase weight, or even turn products into "tools" to deceive consumers.
Dirty food is always a potential danger, especially during Tet, when food consumption demand increases and people often cannot control the origin of the food they use. Foods such as snails, meat, seafood, vegetables and fruits are often sold rampant without clear documents proving their origin, causing fraud and harm to public health.
With thousands of tons of food contaminated with toxic chemicals like in the snail and butterfly case, it is impossible not to worry about the serious impacts on consumer health. Especially, in the context of Tet, when people tend to consume more food, the risk of food poisoning also increases. This story is a warning about the need for stronger measures to protect consumers.
With the drastic involvement of functional agencies in cracking down on food safety and hygiene crimes, we need to hope that these strong actions will not only be a short-term campaign but also the starting point for a stricter monitoring and inspection process for food processing facilities. People also need to be proactive in choosing safe food, shopping at reputable establishments and requiring documents on food origin.
We cannot continue to leave community health to acts that disregard morality and law. Lunar New Year is an occasion for families to reunite, but at the same time it must also be an opportunity for each citizen to be more aware of the importance of choosing safe food and protecting their own and their family's health.
