Vietnamese seafood vendor caught injecting agar into dead lobsters to raise weight

The provincial market surveillance authority confirmed on Sunday that a joint task force comprising market surveillance and economic police officers had inspected a seafood business operated by N.T.X. in Song Cau Town and uncovered food safety violations.

The inspection, conducted at 1:30 pm on June 5, found that the owner, N.T.X., had directly used a syringe to inject agar into dead lobsters.

She admitted to purchasing deceased lobsters and pumping them with the jelly-like substance before selling them to the market.

Officials said that the business was unregistered, despite operating under conditions that legally require registration.

The task force confiscated the 45 kilograms of tampered lobsters and transferred the case to the Song Cau Town People’s Committee, which later issued an administrative fine of VND11.5 million (US$440) and ordered the destruction of the contaminated seafood, valued at VND22 million ($845), through burial under official supervision.

Injecting substances like agar to increase seafood weight and preserve appearance is considered a deceptive practice that can endanger consumer health and undermine food safety standards.

In related news, the market surveillance agency of Ca Mau Province in southern Vietnam said on Sunday that it recently conducted a surprise inspection of a fashion and accessories retailer in Ward 5 of Ca Mau City.

Inspectors discovered 433 pairs of shoes and handbags bearing suspected counterfeit logos of major brands such as Nike, Adidas, Jordan, MLB, Converse, and Louis Vuitton.

An additional 179 long-sleeved shirts lacked invoices or documentation verifying legal origin.

The total value of counterfeit and undocumented goods was estimated at over VND300 million ($11,520).

Authorities seized and sealed all items for further investigation and are preparing an administrative penalty decision.