Suspected ‘banh mi’ food poisoning cases in Vietnam’s Lam Dong climb to 80

An official from the province’s food safety authority said the agency is coordinating with relevant units to investigate the incident and determine responsibility.

As of Monday afternoon, 24 patients had been discharged, while 56 others remained under observation and treatment at medical facilities.

Most patients are reported to be in stable condition.

Aside from the epidemiological investigation conducted by the food safety authority, the provincial police department has also joined the probe and is working with the owner of the 'banh mi' shop suspected to be the source of the outbreak.

On Saturday morning, the food safety authority was informed by An Phuoc General Hospital in Phan Thiet Ward of a large number of patients admitted with symptoms consistent with food poisoning.

Patients reported abdominal pain, frequent diarrhea, nausea, repeated vomiting, and fever.

Doctors diagnosed the cases as bacterial intestinal infections, with suspected food poisoning.

Preliminary epidemiological findings showed that all hospitalized patients had consumed ‘banh mi’ containing cold cuts purchased from Bibone ‘banh mi’ shop on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Phan Thiet Ward.

Authorities believe the suspected contaminated ingredients include pork cold cuts, pork roll, fermented pork roll, meat floss, pâté, Vietnamese mayo, barbecued pork, pickled vegetables, and sauce.

The shop owner told investigators that approximately 150 loaves of ‘banh mi’ were sold last Friday, the day before the first hospitalizations were reported.

Authorities found that the ‘banh mi’ shop did not have a business registration or a food safety certificate.

Ingredients were sourced from multiple suppliers in Ho Chi Minh City and Phan Thiet Ward. Several items, including pork roll, cold cuts, meat floss, and fermented pork roll, were stored in a household freezer without purchase contracts or invoices, with transactions conducted by phone and delivery.

Investigators have collected remaining food samples including cold cuts, pork roll, fermented pork roll, pâté and barbecued pork, and sent them to the Pasteur Institute in neighboring Khanh Hoa Province for laboratory testing to determine the exact cause of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, another ‘banh mi’ food poisoning incident was also reported over the weekend in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam.

As of Monday morning, 105 people had been hospitalized after consuming ‘banh mi’ from Hong Van outlets in Quang Ngai, according to Do Ngoc Hoa, deputy head of the provincial Department of Health.

Authorities ordered all Hong Van outlets to cease sales from last Saturday following the hospitalization of the first patients.