HCMC market serves up lead tainted dried fruit
Ho Chi Minh City health inspectors announced Wednesday they found lead-tainted dried fruits in a wholesale market.
Inspectors started collecting dried fruit samples from Binh Tay market in HCMC’s District 6 in mid October for testing.
The inspection was made after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 1 released a warning that consumers should not eat 18 dried fruits imported from 15 producers and distributors, mainly from China, because of excessive lead levels found in the products.
Malaysia on October 8 also announced it banned the import and sale of all 18 lead-tainted dried fruits identified by the FDA.
According to the HCMC Health Department, most dried fruit samples taken from 20 shops in the Binh Tay market have higher lead content levels than permitted under safety regulations.
Lead is toxic to organs and body tissue including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems.
The Ministry of Health regulated foods cannot contain more than 2mg of lead per kilogram since the metal is toxic and cannot be removed easily from the human body.
Vendors at the Binh Tay market said the prices of dried fruits imported from China were getting cheaper by the day. Pointing to cost as the reason why they imported large shipments from Chinese suppliers while ignoring food safety and quality certificates.
“If you want to buy a ton (of dried fruits) in a day, I still can sell it to you,” a shop owner said. “It’s from China, it’s easy.”
From http://www.vietnewsonline.vn
