Hanoi police seize 571 kg of meat products containing borax

Hanoi police have initiated a criminal investigation into a food safety violation after discovering 571 kg of meat products containing borax. The seizure occurred following inspections of two business locations at Xanh - Van Quan market in the Ha Dong district, where rapid tests showed positive results for the prohibited substance.

Authorities traced the products to a production facility in Dan Hoa commune owned by Do Van Huy. During a raid on the facility, officials found 17 kg of white powder in bags and 11 kg in buckets suspected to be borax. The confiscated items include 118 kg of pork sausage, 402 kg of pork meatballs, and 51 kg of green rice meatballs.

Official testing by the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene confirmed the presence of borax in the samples. Notably, the production facility had previously been granted a food safety certificate, raising questions regarding the effectiveness of post-licensing supervision and monitoring.