An inspection of a Vietnamese drink maker whose products have been reported to contain strange objects has surprised members of the public as inspectors drew a final conclusion after only one day of working.
The Department of Health of the southern province of Binh Duong, where Tan Hiep Phat Co. is headquartered, was supposed to conduct a 30-day inspection of the beverage company, but ended up finishing it after the very first day.
The inspection, starting on February 13 at the request of the Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health, concluded on February 14 that no wrongdoings were detected at Tan Hiep Phat, the producer of popular drinks including Number One, Dr. Thanh, and Tra Xanh Khong Do (Zero Degree Green Tea).
“After inspecting [the company], we found nothing abnormal so we decided to finish it quickly,” Nguyen Tan Hung, the inspector in chief of the health department and leader of the inspection team, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in an interview published Thursday.
“We were given 30 days, but as it was very close to Tet [Lunar New Year], we were in a hurry to get things done.”
The day the inspection started was the 25th day of last lunar year, or five days ahead of the country’s biggest holiday, which fell on February 19.
Tan Hiep Phat made national headlines after a customer in the southern province of Tien Giang, who found a fly in an unopened bottle of the Number One energy drink, was arrested by police for alleged “confiscation of property.”
The drink maker had agreed to pay VND500 million (US$23,300) to buy the silence of Vo Van Minh, but at the same time secretly reported the situation to police officers.
Minh, who had reportedly threatened to make the case public to damage the company’s reputation, was captured when he was about to receive the money at a café in Tien Giang on January 27 and has remained in police custody since.
After Minh’s case, many other consumers across Vietnam also told the media they too found strange objects in Tan Hiep Phat products, prompting the Vietnam Food Administration to order the Binh Duong health department to inspect the company.
At least one other such customer was jailed following a similar report on an unusual object in Tan Hiep Phat drinks in 2011.
The inspectors, meanwhile, did not seem to conduct a thorough check.
Hung, the lead inspector, even admitted to Tuoi Tre that they had not taken any product samples during the inspection, nor did they ask the company to activate a stopped production line that fills glass bottles.
“As per the rules we are only allowed to take samples of the company’s products twice a year, whereas Tan Hiep Phat had been inspected [and their samples taken] five times in 2014,” he said.
Hung added that the firm was able to present their certificates in food safety, environment standards and product quality.
The inspector said it is up to the public to criticize the inspection as having been swiftly done.
“But we found nothing abnormal at the company, so what else is left to do with the inspection?” he said.
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