Police urged to probe into social media claims of diseased meat sold by C.P. Vietnam

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien signed an official request on Wednesday, following a widely circulated social media post by a user named Jonny Lieu on May 30.

The Facebook post alleged that a C.P. Fresh Shop in My Xuyen District, Soc Trang routinely sold pork and chicken products with signs of disease, such as foul odors, red spots, and abscesses.

In response, authorities in Soc Trang launched immediate inspections.

A task force including representatives from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Department of Health, the Department of Industry and Trade, local police, and other agencies conducted surprise checks at the C.P. Vietnam retail outlet located at 45 Trieu Nuong Street in My Xuyen District.

The team found no evidence of expired or diseased meat being sold at the time of the inspection.

However, violations were recorded related to expired food safety certificates and missing business registration documents.

On May 31, the team conducted further inspections at three more business facilities operated by C.P. Vietnam across Soc Trang, where no signs of diseased meat products were detected.

Still, two retail outlets No. 21 and No. 8 were found to be operating with expired food safety certificates.

Lab tests on meat samples collected from these shops came back negative for African swine fever, classical swine fever, and blue-ear disease (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome).

Authorities in Soc Trang also reached out to neighboring Hau Giang Province to assist in verifying reports and images related to animal diseases in the area.

Citing the serious nature of the allegations and their potential impact on public trust and the meat supply chain, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment urged a formal investigation to clarify the situation and penalize any violations if confirmed.

The Jonny Lieu Facebook account owner was identified as L.Q.N., a 40-year-old resident of Soc Trang.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on May 31, N. claimed that he previously worked at C.P. Vietnam, handling pork processing.

During his employment at a C.P. Fresh Shop in My Xuyen District, N. alleged he found serious food safety violations involving diseased pig and chicken mixed into products sold to consumers.

Despite his repeatedly alerting store management from late 2022 to early 2023, no corrective action was taken.

He added that he was suspended in March 2023 after voicing his concerns and later assigned administrative work from home, with his contract ending on June 1.

N. ultimately spoke out publicly after internal attempts to resolve the issues failed.