Food safety inspectors examine the pork seized at the warehouse. — Photo courtesy of the police

HẢI PHÒNG — More than 120 tonnes of diseased pork products were discovered at a major canning facility in northern Việt Nam, including finished products that had already been processed and prepared for sale, authorities said.

Investigators in the port city of Hải Phòng said the meat, infected with African swine fever, had been collected through an organised procurement network and transferred to the warehouse owned by Hạ Long Canned Food JSC, a long-established food producer with a long list of products familiar to Vietnamese consumers.

Roughly two tonnes of the pork had already been processed into canned meat before the operation was uncovered. Inspectors described the meat as badly spoiled, with visible leakage, in an advanced state of decomposition and having strong smell.

Authorities said the network behind the scheme specialised in purchasing sick and diseased pigs at heavily discounted prices.

To move the meat through supply chains undetected, the group allegedly used falsified or repurposed documentation from registered slaughterhouses, allowing the shipments to pass inspections and be distributed as legitimate products.

Following the discovery, police sealed the warehouse and ordered the destruction of the entire stockpile. More than 120 tonnes of infected meat were subsequently disposed of under official supervision.

Nine individuals – whose identities are not yet made public – have been arrested and charged with violations of food safety regulations.

The investigation is ongoing. — VNS