Vietnamese health authorities have conducted tests on 240 tons of fish meal imported from China, which found traces of the toxic industrial chemical melamine but the exporter of the suspect goods is unknown. The Ho Chi Minh City’s Bureau of Quality Management and Fisheries Resources Protection said that the melamine-tainted fish meal, used to make animal feed, was imported in June and July.
It is told that the consignments, licensed by Chinese authorities, contained a melamine concentration of 0.59 percent to 2.24 percent. Vietnam has no regulations that set a safe level of melamine concentration. According to the HCMC bureau it had asked for instructions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on how to handle the melamine-tainted products, which have been isolated pending further action.
Earlier, the HCMC Department of Science and Technology discovered 80 out of 400 samples of animal feed materials were contaminated with melamine. Authorities informed that further tests are underway. A task force from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will today begin inspecting eggs on sale at markets in the northern province of Lang Son, which borders China.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has warned about tough actions against companies found using melamine-tainted materials to make animal feed. Truong Thi Kim Chau, deputy head of HCMC Animal Health Office, also said consumers shouldn’t worry about buying eggs from well-known supermarkets and retailers.
