On January 24, the Economic Police Division of Hung Yen Police Department confirmed that it had filed charges against two individuals for violating food safety regulations during the production of bean sprouts in Tan Thuan Commune.

Investigators discovered that from January 14 to January 18, two separate facilities - operated by Pham Thi Tham (born 1980, resident of Bach Tinh hamlet) and Pham Thi Tinh (born 1984, resident of Tra Khe hamlet) - had used the chemical 6-benzylaminopurine to stimulate bean sprout growth.

This substance is not listed among the permitted additives for food production and processing in Vietnam, but both women reportedly used it in their sprout cultivation and distributed the products to local markets.

Large-scale seizure and charges filed

At Tham’s facility, authorities confiscated 1,220.3 kilograms of tainted bean sprouts, valued at over 18.3 million VND (approximately 750 USD).

At Tinh’s facility, 1,615.3 kilograms of sprouts were seized, worth over 24.2 million VND (about 1,000 USD).

Both individuals have been charged under Article 317, Clause 1 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, which pertains to violations of food safety regulations. The decisions to prosecute have been approved by the People’s Procuracy of Hung Yen’s District 5.

These actions followed days of surveillance and intelligence-gathering by the province’s environmental and economic crime investigation unit, which detected signs of illegal activity at the two production sites.

The confiscated bean sprouts were found to contain the banned growth hormone, confirming suspicions that chemical substances were being used to accelerate sprouting for faster turnover.

The case highlights ongoing concerns about food safety in Vietnam, particularly the use of unapproved substances in small-scale food production.

Bao Khanh