The Vung Tau Ward People's Committee issued a decision to fine Le Nguyen Thi Bang Tuyen, 49, the bakery owner, for several violations: operating a food service business without a food safety certification; and neither the owner nor the direct food preparers possessing food safety training certificates. The establishment's business operations were also suspended for three months.

The unnamed banh mi shop at 13 Do Chieu. Photo: Truong Ha

Located at the corner of Do Chieu and Ly Thuong Kiet streets in Vung Tau Ward, this banh mi shop is well-known locally, operating in the mornings and evenings. Since the beginning of this year, the evening vendors moved their operations to 13 Do Chieu. Ingredients such as pate, meat, Vietnamese sausage (cha), and sauce were prepared at home before being brought to the shop for sale.

After consuming banh mi purchased from the shop on the afternoon of 2/3, 108 individuals experienced symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, leading to their hospitalization. Test results confirmed that 28 out of 51 ingredient samples were positive for Salmonella, a common pathogen causing foodborne gastrointestinal infections.

Salmonella and E.coli are two primary agents responsible for food poisoning and intestinal infections, frequently found in large-scale incidents involving unsanitary food. Infected individuals commonly experience diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain.

Recently, numerous food poisoning cases in southern provinces linked to banh mi consumption have been primarily attributed to infection by these two types of bacteria.

Truong Ha