Vietnam arrests food company CEO over use of diseased pork in 1.7 tons of pate production

Police in Hai Phong said on Jan. 10 that Truong Sy Toan, 57, the company’s chief executive officer, was taken into emergency custody for investigation into the collection and storage of pork infected with African swine fever at the firm’s cold warehouses.

Investigators said Toan was directly involved in management and operational decisions linked to the handling of pork that failed to meet food safety standards.

The same day, police also detained three employees from the company’s Quality Management Department who were responsible for inspecting incoming raw materials. Authorities identified them as having roles in evaluating pork quality before it was approved for storage and processing.

The case came to light in September 2025, when Hai Phong’s Economic Police Division intercepted two vehicles carrying 1.2 metric tons of pork of unknown origin. Tests later confirmed the meat was positive for African swine fever virus. As the investigation expanded, authorities uncovered approximately 130 metric tons of frozen diseased pork stored at Halong Canned Food (Halong Canfoco)'s warehouses.

From the contaminated meat, the company had already processed more than 1.7 metric tons of finished pâté, equivalent to around 14,000 cans, on Sept. 6 and 7, 2025, police said.

Several other products also tested positive for African swine fever, including over 4,000 kg of crispy spring rolls and more than 3,000 kg of special spring rolls.

In addition, laboratory tests found more than 13,000 kg of frozen pork skin and over 8,000 kg of frozen chicken skin contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, a common cause of gastrointestinal illness.

Authorities said the diseased pork was sourced from suppliers in Hung Yen Province that borders Hai Phong and lacked legal documentation. After four months of investigation, Hai Phong police initiated criminal proceedings against one suspect and eight accomplices for violating food safety regulations. All contaminated meat and related products were destroyed in November 2025.

Police said the investigation is ongoing as they continue to clarify individual responsibilities and expand the case in accordance with the law.