Owner apologizes in suspected food poisoning cases linked to ‘banh mi’ shop in central Vietnam

Local authorities reported on Tuesday morning that 167 people had been hospitalized with suspected food poisoning after eating 'banh mi' from Ba Duoc, a well-known local shop in Quang Ngai Province.

As of 7:30 am on the day, the patients had been treated at nine hospitals and healthcare facilities across the province, with 13 discharged after their conditions stabilized.

The number of cases has risen steadily since October 10, when customers began experiencing abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever after eating 'banh mi' purchased from the shop at 12 Duy Tan Street in Cam Thanh Ward.

The number of hospitalized patients reached 55 on October 10, increased to 105 on October 11, and climbed to 135 on October 12 before reaching 167 on Tuesday morning.

All affected individuals reported having purchased and consumed 'banh mi' from Ba Duoc before falling ill.

Authorities have collected 13 food samples and nine patient samples for testing, but laboratory results have yet to confirm the cause of the suspected outbreak.

Initial inspections found that the shop owner could not provide documents verifying the origins of certain ingredients. 

Hygiene shortcomings were also identified at the food preparation area in the owner's residence.

The Vietnam Food Administration and provincial authorities have ordered an investigation into the incident, including tracing ingredient sources, identifying the cause, and handling any violations.

Long-established 'banh mi' shop issues public apology

Amid growing public concern, Ba Duoc, which has operated in Quang Ngai for more than half a century, issued a public apology to customers over the incident.

"First and foremost, Ba Duoc would like to extend our sincere apologies to all our valued customers for the recent incident," the business said in a statement posted on social media.

The shop said it had immediately suspended operations following the incident and provided relevant information to authorities as it awaited official laboratory findings.

It also pledged to coordinate with provincial and local agencies to visit the affected customers and take appropriate measures to address the consequences in accordance with regulations once the investigation results were available.

The apology attracted thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments, with some customers expressing sympathy for the longstanding business while others urged it to strengthen food safety practices.

Responding to such comments, the shop said this was the first such incident it had encountered in several decades of operation.

As of Tuesday morning, authorities had not announced the official cause of the suspected food poisoning outbreak.