At 10.00 am on Monday, a group from the Environmental Police Division of Da Nang Police Department and the city’s Veterinary Agency paid an inspection visit to a fat-processing establishment in Lien Chieu District’s Hoa Minh Ward. 

The establishment, which is owned by 37-year-old Mai Thi Kim Anh from the same ward, has seriously violated the city’s food safety and hygiene standards.  It was found without any legal business licences and certificates of food quality and veterinary quarantine.  In addition, unclean and rudimentary tools were being used for production activities at the company.

A worker at the fat-processing establishment

A total of 170kg of finished product, 170 kg of animal fat, and 2,400 kg of liquid fats were found in unhygienic conditions.  Ms Anh admitted that her fat product and liquid fats had been frequently distributed to many local traders, whilst her animal fat products had been transported to Ho Chi Minh City for consumption.

Ms Anh received an administrative fine and she has also been forced to immediately cease her business activities to allow for further investigations by the local relevant agencies. 

During its operation, the venue has been discharging untreated wastewater which has caused severe environmental pollution in residential areas nearby, adversely affecting the health of the local people as well as their daily lives.