Hundreds of sick in Vietnam after eating in a bakery

Nearly 550 people have fallen ill in a major outbreak of food poisoning in Vietnam.

People became ill after eating at a bakery in Long Khánh, a city in Đồng Nai province.

According to the Dong Nai Ministry of Health, 547 people fell ill last week.

466 cases have been discharged from hospitals and continue to be monitored at home, while 81 patients are being treated in hospital.

Cô Băng Bakery’s operations were temporarily suspended while authorities investigated the incident. Officials said more than 1,000 banh mi sandwiches were sold to consumers, with some later developing symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. These sandwiches usually come on a baguette with pate, pork and vegetables.

Salmonella suspected

An inspection by authorities found that the bakery did not have a business license or a qualifying food safety certificate. Four employees did not have a food safety training certificate or a health certificate.

A meeting with local food producers and traders earlier this week revealed that only about 20 percent of the 132 bakeries in Long Khánh have business permits. In 2023, a training course was organized for food companies in the area. The owner of Co Bang bakery was present, but did not receive a food safety certificate.

Hospitals conducted test results on 29 patient samples, and the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Public Health recorded 16 positive results for two Salmonella and E. coli strains, and nine samples were positive for E. coli.

Results of food samples taken at the involved bakery by the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Public Health recorded Salmonella positives in four out of eight samples.

Officials said these findings mean it can be concluded that Salmonella caused the food poisoning.

Broader picture

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang asked the Ministry of Health to promote information and advice on the risk of food poisoning and how to prevent it, especially in tourist areas, school canteens and street food spots.

In 2023, Vietnam recorded 125 epidemics that infected more than 2,100 people and caused 28 deaths, an increase over 2022 figures.

In March 2024, the Vietnam Food Administration of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea announced the official operation of a food safety management system in Vietnam.

The announcement was the result of a project between the two governments that was approved by the Vietnamese Prime Minister in 2020.

Most food production and processing facilities in Vietnam are small-scale and follow seasonal production. Of the country’s 500,000 food processing plants, 85 percent are small and medium-sized and family-run with limited equipment and facilities.

The system consists of five components: an online food safety reporting system, a public web portal with general food safety information, a professional portal for officials and a system that monitors laboratory information.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)