The Food Safety Authority under the Ministry of Health issued on February 27 an urgent directive to the provincial Department of Health, demanding an investigation into the suspected food poisoning, focused treatment for patients and strict penalties for any violations.
Earlier, on February 24, the provincial Food Safety Sub-department reported that 19 people had been admitted to Hong Ngu Regional General Hospital with abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming bread from the bakery. The number later rose to 71.
The authority instructed local hospitals to mobilise all available resources to ensure intensive treatment and prevent serious health consequences.
An urgent investigation has been ordered to trace the origin of the food, identify ingredient suppliers and determine which item caused the poisoning. Officials have been told to collect food and patient samples for testing and to strictly handle any breaches of food safety regulations.
The agency also called for close monitoring of the situation, timely reporting and transparent public communication to warn the community. A formal report must be submitted in line with regulations.
In addition, the Department of Health has been asked to strengthen inspections of small-scale food producers, processors and street vendors to ensure food safety standards.
According to officials, the first three emergency cases were admitted on the morning of February 24. Patients said they had bought and eaten bread from Hong Ngoc 12 Bakery on the evening of February 23. Within hours, they developed severe abdominal cramps around the navel, vomiting and persistent diarrhoea. The number of hospitalisations quickly climbed from three to 71.
Following the alert, health authorities inspected the bakery and seized five stored ingredient samples, including liver pate, pork sausage, fried sausage, pickled vegetables and ham. The samples have been sent to the Dong Thap Province Centre for Research, Application and Scientific Technology Services for testing to determine the cause.
