Police indict fake vinegar producer in Vietnam’s Bac Ninh

The investigation police agency under the provincial Department of Public Security said on Friday that Nguyen Cong Khuong, 50, had been prosecuted and placed in temporary detention on allegations of producing and trading counterfeit food products.

The case followed an inspection conducted by an inter-agency team at Khuong’s facility in January.

During the inspection, authorities found that the establishment was producing vinegar by mixing the food additive acetic acid with pre-filtered water, without any other ingredients, while labeling the products as ‘100 percent natural white vinegar.’

The inspection team seized 7,488 0.5-liter bottles of fake white vinegar, along with 150 kilograms of the acetic acid food additive, bottle caps, product labels, and various tools and equipment used to produce the fake vinegar.

Police said that in 2023 Khuong had self-declared a white vinegar product with ingredients listed as vinegar concentrate and purified water, but the actual production process did not match the declared ingredients.

Investigators are continuing to expand the probe to identify others who may have been involved in the production and distribution of the fake product.

Following the case, Bac Ninh police urged businesses and household producers to comply with legal regulations and refrain from manufacturing or trading counterfeit or substandard goods, particularly food and food additives.

Authorities warned that violations would be dealt with strictly to protect consumer rights and public health.