Ho Chi Minh City police catch Huynh Van Truong in the act of soaking snails with chemicals. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security
Truong, a 47-year-old from Can Tho City, southern Vietnam, was recently charged for violating food safety regulations that occurred at a food processing facility in Binh Dong Ward.
During the investigation, Truong admitted to using sodium silicate, also known as liquid glass, to soak pre-processed apple snail meat in order to make it crisp, chewy, and more visually glossy, making it easier to sell on the market.
The suspect also acknowledged that he was fully aware that sodium silicate is not permitted for use in food processing.
“I knew the chemical was not allowed for food use, but I was under financial pressure and did it anyway,” Truong told investigators.
Regarding the source of the chemical used over many years, Truong said that he purchased sodium silicate from Kim Bien Market in Ho Chi Minh City.
At the time of purchase, he said he explicitly stated that the chemical would be used for soaking snails.
Kim Bien Market is notorious for selling a wide range of industrial additives, food flavorings, household chemicals, as well as toxic and hazardous substances.
According to Truong’s statement, he bought each 35-liter container of sodium silicate at VND6,000 (US$0.2) per kilogram.
For every 150 kilograms of apple snail meat, five kilograms of chemicals were used for soaking. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security
Regarding his method, the suspect said he typically mixed about five kilograms of chemicals with water to soak roughly 150 kilograms of pre-processed apple snail meat for four hours, before rinsing it with water and distributing it for sale.
Earlier, the city’s economic police inspected a food processing facility with no signage at No. 60 Rach Cat Ben Luc Street, Binh Dong Ward.
At the time of inspection, officers discovered and seized more than three metric tons of pre-processed apple snail meat, all soaked in a solution containing sodium silicate.
Further inspections led authorities to uncover and seize an additional 1,575 kilograms of sodium silicate stored for snail soaking.
Containers used to store chemicals for soaking snail meat. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security
Forensic analysis confirmed that all snail meat samples contained sodium silicate, an industrial chemical used in construction and cement production and strictly prohibited for use in food processing.
This substance is highly alkaline and can cause digestive tract damage, skin and eye irritation, and poses serious potential risks to consumer health.
Investigators determined that from 2021 until his arrest, Truong operated snail-soaking activities on an extremely large scale, using approximately 500 metric tons of sodium silicate to process about 3,000 metric tons of apple snail meat, which was then distributed on the market over many years, generating illegal profits totaling billions of Vietnamese dong. [VND1 billion = $38,300]
Police are expanding the probe to clarify the roles of individuals and organizations involved in distributing the chemically contaminated snail meat.
Investigators are also reviewing and will strictly handle violations related to the illegal sale and supply of chemicals to improper users.
Max: 1500 characters
There are no comments yet. Be the first to comment.