Nguyen Ngoc Sam, vice chairman of the Quang Ngai People's Committee, signed an administrative penalty decision on November 5 against Nguyen Thi Thuy, owner of the bakery in Cam Thanh Ward. The establishment was linked to a food poisoning outbreak in October.
According to the decision, Thuy violated food safety regulations by failing to cover food to protect it from dust, insects and harmful animals. She was also found to have produced, processed and sold food that caused poisoning and affected the health of 175 people, although the violations did not warrant criminal prosecution.
For the two violations, Thuy was fined nearly VND 86 million (USD 3,310) and ordered to cover all medical treatment costs for those affected. The bakery has also been suspended from operating for four months.
The Ba Duoc banh mi cart was sealed by authorities (Photo: Quoc Trieu).
On the evening of October 9, 16 people in Quang Ngai were admitted to hospital with suspected food poisoning. The number of cases rose to 175 in the following days. All those affected had eaten banh mi from Ba Duoc bakery, a well-known local outlet that sells 350-400 sandwiches a day.
Health officials and police subsequently inspected the bakery. Initial findings showed that its owner had failed to provide legal documentation proving the origin and traceability of ingredients used to make the sandwiches.
Tests conducted by the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute found harmful bacteria in 12 of the 13 food samples collected at the establishment. The contaminated food was identified as the cause of the outbreak.