“Corporate Giant” Recalls Products, While Small Retailers Continue to Sell
According to a survey conducted by Tiền Phong newspaper on January 8th, major supermarkets in Hai Phong City, such as Aeon Mall, Go!, and CoopMart, have removed canned products from HaLong CanFoco (HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company) from their shelves.
At the Go! supermarket in downtown Hai Phong, the chilled food section no longer displays any HaLong CanFoco branded canned products.
At Aeon Mall Lê Chân in Hai Phong City, an employee reported that as of late on January 7th, the supermarket had removed numerous HaLong CanFoco canned products from the shelves.
Meanwhile, some convenience stores on Phạm Minh Đức Street (Gia Viên Ward), Kênh Dương, and Trần Nguyên Hãn (Lê Chân Ward) still stock several HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company products, including Lighthouse Pate, Liver Pate, Beef Pate, and Tuna Pate.
Several canned products, including “Hai Phong Lighthouse Pate” from HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company, remain on the shelves of convenience stores.
Observations made by reporters on the same day at the intersection of Chùa Hàng and Tô Hiệu Streets in Hai Phong City, an area renowned for its traditional lighthouse pate shops and lighthouse pate baguettes, revealed a noticeable decline in customer footfall compared to previous periods.
Ms. T. (resident of Chùa Hàng Street) shared that she and many others in the neighborhood had read reports on various media platforms and social networks regarding the controversy surrounding pork infected with African swine fever being supplied to the warehouse of HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company.
According to Ms. T., this company produces a canned product named “Hai Phong Lighthouse Pate,” which shares the same name as the traditional pate handcrafted by locals in the area, a long-established brand.
However, “Hai Phong Lighthouse Pate” from HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company is packaged in sealed cans with the company’s branding and labeling, boasting a shelf life of several years. In contrast, the “Lighthouse Pate” produced by residents of Chùa Hàng Street is handmade using family recipes, has a short shelf life of only a few days, and is famously paired with spicy baguettes or baguette sticks.
The controversy surrounding the origin of pork infected with African swine fever supplied to the warehouse of HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company has led many to mistakenly associate “Hai Phong Lighthouse Pate” with the traditional pate of Chùa Hàng Street residents.
Chùa Hàng Street, renowned for its traditional “Lighthouse Pate” shops.
Mr. D. (resident of Hải An Ward) shared that he recently purchased a can of “Hai Phong Lighthouse Pate” (90g) from HaLong CanFoco with an expiration date of up to 3 years (26/10/2025-26/10/2028). However, after reading about the incident, he decided to discard the product and not consume it.
130 Tons of Pork Infected with African Swine Fever Destroyed
On the afternoon of January 8th, Hai Phong City Police announced that the Investigative Police Agency of the City Police had decided to prosecute nine suspects in the case of “Violating Food Safety Regulations,” which occurred within the city.
According to Hai Phong City Police, on September 8th, 2025, the Economic Police Department discovered and arrested Lê Bá Danh (born in 1977, residing in An Biên Ward) and Trịnh Việt Hà (born in 1991, residing in Hà Nam Commune) for transporting and trading 1.27 tons of slaughtered pork with a foul odor, of unknown origin, testing positive for African swine fever virus from epidemic areas to food processing companies for consumption.
During the investigation, the police conducted an emergency search of the headquarters and four cold storage facilities of HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company. Test results from pork samples taken from the two trucks driven by Danh and Hà, as well as samples from the four cold storage facilities of HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company, confirmed the presence of African swine fever virus.
Headquarters of HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company on Lê Lai Street, Hai Phong City.
The police have sealed off the four cold storage facilities containing pork infected with African swine fever belonging to HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company and collaborated with inter-agency forces to destroy the entire approximately 130 tons of frozen pork.
According to initial investigations, the suspects admitted that after the pork was bought and sold through multiple intermediaries, the infected pork was gathered at the warehouse of HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company (HaLong CanFoco), located at 71 Lê Lai, Ngô Quyền Ward (Hai Phong City).
The infected pork had its origin and documentation legalized by declaring intra-provincial consumption to evade quarantine inspections.
5 out of the 9 suspects in the case.
Additionally, the suspects purchased infected pigs at low prices from some slaughterhouses and legalized the goods by using purchase documents from registered slaughterhouses with competent authorities, then organized rapid transportation and distribution to evade inspections.
On January 8th, HaLong Canned Food Joint Stock Company (HaLong CanFoco) officially responded to the controversy surrounding the company’s raw material sources.
The company stated that it is involved in the case as the recipient of raw materials based on complete, valid documents and certificates provided by the seller and issued by competent state agencies.
The nine prosecuted suspects in the case are all outsiders and are not employees, managers, or staff of the company.
The company asserted that in September 2025, upon discovering the incident, it fully cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation process, isolated and destroyed violating raw materials, and reviewed the entire raw material control process and supplier selection to enhance risk prevention measures in the supply chain.
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