Last week, Food Poisoning News reported on a large-scale incident of foodborne illness related to consumption of traditional vietnames banh mi sandwiches from a local bakery on November 26, 2024. The owner of the bakery in Vũng Tàu City, has now been hit with significant penalties following the serious food poisoning outbreak that affected over 340 people and resulted in one fatality.
Local authorities from Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province have fined the owner of Cô Ba, a bánh mì shop, 125 million Vietnamese dong (approximately $4,900). The business will also be required to suspend operations for five months.
The incident occurred on November 26, when customers who purchased bread from the shop began experiencing severe symptoms including stomach pain, dizziness, nausea, and diarrhoea. A 71-year-old man died after consuming food from the establishment.
Investigations revealed that the food poisoning was caused by contaminated pork products and raw vegetables infected with Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. All affected patients were treated at local hospitals and have since stabilized and have been discharged.
The shop was found guilty of multiple violations, primarily selling contaminated food and failing to meet basic food safety standards. Vietnam has faced a number of food safety challenges among street food vendors in the last few years.
The penalties mirror a similar case in 2023 in Hội An town, where another bánh mì shop was fined and suspended after over 300 people became ill, though that incident did not result in any deaths.
In early May of this year, over 500 people were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning after eating banh mi sandwiches from a bakery in the south of the country. The size of the outbreak was substantial because the bakery said that it sold 1,100 sandwiches that day. Investigators temporarily closed the business after a number of food safety violations were discovered.
Commenting on this article, one national Salmonella lawyer said, “Most incidents of foodborne illness are caused by a single pathogen, making this one somewhat rare in that two different bacteria were found. As such, it is a great example of the extreme importance of maintaining strict hygiene practices in food preparation and handling to prevent such large and also dangerous outbreaks.”
