A bakery owner in Nghe An province has been fined 18 million VND for multiple food safety violations.
Upon inspecting the bakery where a food poisoning incident resulted in 64 hospitalizations, local authorities discovered numerous violations, including flies in the food preparation area, and decided to impose a fine.
On May 11th, Mr. Dao Hong Thanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Chau commune, announced that the commune had issued a decision to impose an administrative fine totaling 18 million VND on Ms. NTQ (31 years old), residing in Dien Chau commune, for numerous violations related to food safety.
Ms. Q. is the owner of 2 stores.Quynh's BakeryBusinesses operating in Trung Hong hamlet and Block 4, Dien Chau commune, were involved in a food poisoning incident that resulted in 64 people being hospitalized in mid-April.
According to Mr. Thanh, immediately after the food poisoning incident, the local authorities formed an inspection team and discovered that the business had committed several violations, including: operating a food service without a food safety certificate; having insects (flies) infesting the food processing and serving area; not implementing the three-step food inspection process; and not retaining food samples.
Specifically, the act of operating a food service business without a food safety certificate is punishable by a fine of up to 10 million VND. The act of allowing flies to enter the premises is punishable by a fine of 1 million VND, and two other offenses are each punishable by a fine of 3.5 million VND.
Furthermore, because the bakery caused food poisoning in many people, the People's Committee of Dien Chau commune has compiled a report and proposed that the People's Committee of Nghe An province impose penalties according to its authority. Currently, the People's Committee of Nghe An province is reviewing the case to make a decision on the penalty.
Previously, starting on April 17th, dozens of people in Dien Chau commune were hospitalized with symptoms of vomiting, dizziness, and diarrhea after eating bread purchased from Quynh bakery. Immediately after the incident, the leaders of the Nghe An Department of Health visited the patients and directed relevant agencies to collect samples for testing to determine the cause of the poisoning.
Test results on the samples have indicated that Salmonella bacteria were the cause of the food poisoning incident in Dien Chau commune. Specifically, of the 7 samples tested, 5 samples were positive for Salmonella bacteria, including pate, grilled meat, sausage, shredded pork, and radish; 2 samples were negative, including pork sausage and tomato sauce.
Salmonella bacteria are a common cause of gastrointestinal infections, usually starting 16-48 hours after infection with symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and fatigue. Most cases resolve spontaneously within 4-7 days, but in young children, the elderly, or immunocompromised individuals, the disease can lead to serious complications such as sepsis and meningitis, which can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.
Bacteria commonly reside in the digestive tracts of animals and are transmitted to humans through contaminated food such as undercooked eggs, poultry, unpasteurized milk, raw vegetables, or through cross-contamination during processing. Eggs and egg products are a significant source of infection, as bacteria can enter the egg from the hen's ovary before the shell forms.
