Proposed fine of over 224 million VND for Kera vegetable candy production facility

According to Mr. Cao Van Thanh, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health, based on the results of inspection and testing of food safety samples at the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene Control, the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health has drafted a decision to sanction administrative violations, transferred the file, and proposed the Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee to sanction Asia Life Joint Stock Company (address 18/99 Nguyen Van Linh, Ea Tu commune, Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province) for 4 administrative violations.

Specifically, the violations include: Inadequate monitoring of temperature and humidity for raw materials in storage areas and warehouses; food production facilities that are required to establish and apply a hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system have been established but not fully applied in practice; production of products subject to self-declaration of products but not in accordance with announced standards; trading and circulating food products with additives other than announced standards. Dak Lak Provincial Department of Health proposed a total fine of VND 224,250,400 for all 4 violations. Particularly for violations in trading and circulating food products with additives other than announced standards, during the inspection process, the competent authority counted 2,080 boxes, with a total violation value of more than VND 67 million (2,080 boxes x VND 32,452/box). This behavior is proposed to be fined over 168 million VND.

Previously, implementing the direction of the Department of Food Safety (Ministry of Health), on March 7, the Director of the Department of Health of Dak Lak province issued Decision No. 229/QD-SYT on the establishment of an inspection team to inspect the compliance with legal regulations in the field of food safety for Asia Life Joint Stock Company. The members of the inspection team include the Department of Health Inspectorate and the Department of Food Safety, Department of Health.

The inspection team inspected Asia Life Joint Stock Company on the following contents: Legal documents; conditions of facilities, personnel, equipment of the company; food production process; traceability of food ingredients, food additives, declaration documents for food packaging...; At the same time, took 1 sample of Super Greens Gummies food supplement (quantity 96g/box) produced at the company and sent the food sample to the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene Control to test food safety quality according to regulations.

After receiving news on the mass media related to the Kera vegetable candy product of Chi Em Rot Group Joint Stock Company, which was endorsed by Miss Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien,Nguyen Thi Thai Hang (Hang Du Muc) and Pham Quang Linh (Quang Linh Vlogs)false advertising on social networking platforms, causing public outrage, seriously affecting consumer rights, the Investigation Police Agency, Ministry of Public Security (C01) has coordinated with the Department of Environmental Crime Prevention Police, Dak Lak Provincial Police, Ho Chi Minh City Police and professional units to investigate and verify violations of the law related to the production and promotion of Kera candy by Chi Em Rot Group Joint Stock Company on social networking platforms.

The police agency determined: The product Kera SuperGreens Gummies (Kera candy) is a product of Chi Em Rot Company manufactured by Asia Life Joint Stock Company, is "counterfeit" and was sold to the market by Chi Em Rot Company in 135,325 boxes from December 12, 2024 to March 19, 2025, seriously affecting the rights of consumers.

On April 3, 2025, the Investigation Police Agency, Ministry of Public Security issued a Decision to prosecute the criminal case of "Production of counterfeit food products and Customer Deception" related to Asia Life Joint Stock Company, Chi Em Rot Group Joint Stock Company and a number of companies.