Big C Vinh Supermarket: Unexpired buns are moldy

(Baonghean) -She had just bought the dumplings two days ago and according to the specifications on the packaging, they had almost a month left until their expiration date, but for some reason, 5 packages of dumplings belonging to Ms. Tran Thi Thu suddenly had green mold. The incident was then reported to Big C supermarket but was met with indifference and disregard...

Sending a petition via the hotline to Nghe An Newspaper, then directly bringing the dumplings to the Reception Room of the editorial office, Ms. Tran Thi Thu (Block 10, Ben Thuy Ward) expressed her disappointment with the behavior of the staff of Big C Vinh Supermarket. She said: On the morning of March 24, between 8:30 and 9:00, she and her daughter went to Bic C Supermarket and bought 5 packages of vegetarian dumplings produced by Phu My Development Joint Stock Company with the transaction office address at 124 Vinh Tuy, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi.

Because this is a product that her family often eats, and she trusts the reputation of the supermarket, she did not check carefully. When she got home, she gave two packages to her sister, and put the remaining three packages in the refrigerator and on the afternoon of March 25, she steamed them to use. As soon as she opened them, she was surprised to see that the cakes still in the plastic bag were covered in green mold. When she checked the other two packages, they were in the same condition. She called her sister to check if the two unused packages in the refrigerator also showed signs of mold.

Seeing the unusual incident, especially when the expiration date on the cake packaging was April 17, she called the hotline - customer care of Big C Supermarket to report. However, according to Ms. Thu, the staff on the phone was impolite and asked for an invoice to resolve the issue. Then, on March 26, Ms. Thu went directly to the supermarket to ask to meet the operator and ask to review the product, but only met the seller and the seller insisted on showing the invoice. "I think, even if I don't keep the invoice, if I want to check whether I bought the product or not, I just need to review it through the camera or the product's barcode and put it into the sales computer system and the information will come out immediately because this product is only available at Big C Supermarket. It seems like they are deliberately shirking responsibility..." - Ms. Thu was upset.





Ms. Tran Thi Thu reported to the reporter that the dumplings bought at Big C Supermarket were moldy.

Ms. Thu also said that she had called the manufacturer but to no avail. According to her, “each package of dumplings is not worth much (only 8,500 VND/package). What I hope is that through this incident, the supermarket will be warned, so that they can review the amount of goods in stock, and if there are any, they will confiscate them, to avoid other customers buying defective or poor quality goods.”

Checking the 5 packages of cakes that Ms. Thu has been keeping since the 24th, we can see that every package is covered with green and red mold. When asked about the preservation, Ms. Thu confirmed that as soon as she bought them from the supermarket, she put them in the refrigerator and had done so before without any problems. What Ms. Thu and we are wondering is: Why is the packaging still full, intact, intact, within the expiration date and stored in the refrigerator, but the cake is moldy?

In response to the information we provided, Mr. Tran An Khang - Director of Big C Supermarket was surprised and said that he had not received the above information. After checking the departments, he affirmed: This is a shortcoming in communication and behavior of subordinates, because if he knew, he would invite customers to work and discuss to find a solution. Regarding product quality, Mr. Khang affirmed: This is a product with a clear origin, before reaching consumers, the supermarket's food safety and hygiene inspection department had fully checked it before bringing it to the counter? In the case of moldy products, it could be due to the transportation and storage process because dumplings are a product that is very susceptible to fermentation if kept at room temperature, even for just a few hours? Regarding customer rights, Mr. Khang committed: he will work directly with Ms. Thu and if she requests compensation or an exchange, the supermarket will do so.

The incident of moldy dumplings at Big C Supermarket once again raised concerns about food hygiene and safety in supermarkets, when currently consumers' inspection is mostly done by the naked eye and by the level of trust in the supplier. On the part of the state management unit, Mr. Nguyen Tai Dung - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade also admitted: The industry and trade sector manages supermarkets, but in reality, food safety inspections cannot be carried out regularly. Consumers mostly still have to protect themselves through actual inspections such as the expiry date printed on the packaging, the freshness of the product...

To ensure food hygiene and safety, many customers have developed the habit of going to supermarkets instead of going to markets or visiting small retailers, with the hope of buying quality products. But with the above incidents, are customers really confident about their choices?

Ha - Ly