~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

[Year 1997]
[Year 1998]
[Year 1999]
[Year 2000]
[Year 2001]

Vietnam orders food probe after formaldehyde scare

HANOI - Vietnam's health ministry has ordered an inspection of food processing firms nationwide after formaldehyde was discovered in noodles used to make traditional soup, official media reported on Wednesday. Blanket media coverage of the formaldehyde scare has emptied eateries that sell the rice-based noodle soup known as pho, which is especially popular in Vietnam's north.

Pho is normally enriched with chicken, beef or pork and the formaldehyde is used to enhance flavour. Formaldehyde is also used to preserve dead bodies, and officials have said sustained consumption of products tainted with the chemical could lead to cancer.

The Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper said Health Vice Minister Le Van Truyen had ordered the inspection to be carried out by local health authorities in coordination with police across the country this month. It said formaldehyde had been found first in noodles served up in Hanoi, then other provinces and that those who violate hygiene standards would be fined and have their shops closed.

The Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) newspaper said formaldehyde had been smuggled into Vietnam and sold widely for as cheap as 5,000 dong (0.36 U.S. cents) a litre. Health Ministry officials were not immediately available to comment.

Reuters - January 5, 2000.