CEO of Vietnam's Halong Canfoco charged in diseased pork probe

Halong Canfoco, fully known as Ha Long Canned Food JSC, is a well-established Vietnamese canned food producer based in Hai Phong and is currently at the center of a major food safety scandal.

According to the city’s investigation police agency, Toan, a 57-year-old residing in neighboring Quang Ninh Province, is accused of “lack of responsibility causing serious consequences.”

Investigators have also initiated criminal proceedings against three employees of Halong Canfoco for “violating regulations on food safety.”

They include Pham Thi Thuy Lan, 46, who serves as deputy head of the company’s quality management department.

The other two are 47-year-old Bui Thi Thoan, an employee responsible for raw material inspections, and 52-year-old Lai Thi Thanh Huong, an employee in the input material division under the quality management department.

All four have been placed in temporary detention to serve the investigation process, according to police officers.

The Hai Phong People’s Procuracy has approved the prosecution decisions and detention orders.

Major food safety scandal

On September 8 last year, Hai Phong police discovered two trucks transporting 1,274.5 kilograms of pork of unknown origin that showed signs of spoilage and later tested positive for African swine fever.

Subsequent searches led authorities to seal four cold storage warehouses containing over 130 metric tons of frozen pork linked to Halong Canfoco, all of which was later destroyed.

On September 12, investigators launched criminal proceedings for violations of food safety regulations.

On December 24 the same year, investigators issued decisions to prosecute nine suspects for supplying and trading food originating from dead or sick pigs infected with African swine fever.

By January 10, the company’s CEO Truong Sy Toan and three quality control employees were arrested for their alleged roles in managing, storing, and using diseased pork in production.

Following the emergency arrest of its leader, the company announced a short-term suspension of manufacturing operations at the Ha Long Canned Food Factory in Hai Phong for no more than 14 days, starting from January 12.

Founded in 1957 in Hai Phong under its original name ‘Halong Canned Food Factory,’ Halong Canfoco was once a pioneer and leading enterprise in Vietnam’s processed food industry.

According to information published on its website, after nearly 70 years of operation, the company has developed an ecosystem consisting of three factories and three offices supporting its manufacturing and business activities.