The Shocking Truth: Over Two Tons of Putrid Cow Fat and Skin Almost Made it to Market

On August 14, Market Management Team No. 10 of the Hanoi Market Management Department, in coordination with Quang Minh Commune Police, inspected and discovered a truck carrying a large quantity of beef tallow and cowhide.

At the time of inspection, the vehicle was found to be transporting 1,150 kg of beef tallow and 1,020 kg of cowhide that emitted a putrid odor. The driver was unable to present relevant invoices or documents.

Initial investigations revealed that the owner of the cargo was Mr. Do Van Luc, a resident of Ha Lam village, Thu Lam commune, Phu Tho province. Mr. Luc admitted that he was transporting the goods from Phu Tho to Hanoi for consumption when he was apprehended by the authorities.

Market Management Team No. 10 issued an administrative fine of VND 8 million to Mr. Do Van Luc, the business household owner, and ordered the destruction of the aforementioned 1,150 kg of beef tallow and 1,020 kg of cowhide.

This is not the first time that the Hanoi Market Management Department has detected and seized animal products of unknown origin that fail to meet food hygiene and safety standards.

Previously, on August 12, the Hanoi Market Management force, in collaboration with Quang Minh Commune Police, inspected a batch of food products (frozen pork spine bones) belonging to Quynh Huong Food Company, which were being stored at the HPC Kien Cuong cold storage facility, owned by HPC Kien Cuong Joint Stock Company (address: Lot 43B, Quang Minh Industrial Park, Quang Minh commune).

During the inspection, it was found that the entire batch of goods consisted of 786 cardboard boxes containing frozen pork spine bones produced abroad, with a total weight of 15,720 kg. The packaging had foreign language labels and Vietnamese supplementary labels, with a shelf life of two years from February 16, 2022.

The task force determined that since the expiration date of the goods, 796 boxes (15,920 kg) had been stored at the HPC Kien Cuong cold storage, 10 boxes (200 kg) had been sold, and the remaining stock at the warehouse was 786 boxes (15,720 kg). Market Management Team No. 10 has temporarily seized the entire batch of goods for further handling in accordance with regulations.

Deputy Director of Hanoi Market Management Department, Mr. Duong Manh Hung, stated that to protect consumers’ rights and prevent the trading, transportation, and storage of animal products that fail to meet food safety standards, relevant authorities will focus on inspecting and verifying compliance with food safety regulations by food production and business establishments, in accordance with the periodic plan that has been established. They will also concentrate on implementing the issued food safety special topic.