The Dong Thap Provincial Department of Hygiene and Food Safety announced on Monday that 146 people had been hospitalised after eating sandwiches at the Hong Ngoc 12 Bakery in Hong Ngu City between August 8 and 11.
The department said in its report that on August 6, Hong Ngoc 12 Bakery delivered 33 sandwiches to the Thai Duong Company, and 30 workers had them for dinner.
Between 7–9 am the following day, 11 of the workers had symptoms, including stomach aches, diarrhoea, and vomiting and had to be hospitalised. By 3.30 pm the same day, nine more workers were also hospitalised with similar problems.
By August 11, local hospitals had received 146 people who showed the same food poisoning symptoms after eating sandwiches from the bakery.
The department added that 21 cases had been released following recoveries, while others have also improved and are being further monitored.
The Hong Ngoc 12 Bakery has been suspended while local authorities are conducting testing on their food samples and investigations into their operation.
A recent survey by the Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Health showed that cucumbers, herbs, and salad used in sandwiches at 11 shops in Nha Trang City tested positive for pesticides, while ham and sauce samples here contained Salmonella bacteria.
In May this year, more than 500 people were hospitalised after eating banh mi sandwiches at the Bang Bakery in the southern province of Dong Nai.
Test results on food samples such as pate, processed pork, sausage and pickled vegetables taken from the bakery revealed the presence of Salmonella bacteria.
Last year, nearly 300 people had food poisoning after eating banh mi sandwiches at the well-known Madam Phuong Bakery shop in Hoi An City.
The Vietnamese banh mi baguette, filled with cold meats, pate, and vegetables, is a popular snack in Vietnam.
