Seafood Poisoning Incident in Vietnam: Ha Long Seafood Processing Company Fined for High Histamine Levels in Braised Fish

A seafood processing company based in Ha Long was fined 180 million VND by the Department of Health for providing meals that caused 127 workers to be hospitalized. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, Head of the Food Safety and Hygiene Department, all patients had stabilized by the morning of July 4 and were discharged from the hospital, returning to work as usual.

The suspected food poisoning was found to be from braised sea fish supplied by Ha Long Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company. Despite having sufficient conditions and a business license, test results showed that histamine levels in the fish samples were 40 times higher than the standard level, potentially causing the poisoning. Authorities are still investigating the exact cause.

Fish is a high source of histamine, especially marine fish like mackerel, anchovies, tuna, herring, and skate. Improper freezing or refrigeration of these types of fish can lead to strong bacteria growth, converting histidine into histamine, which is toxic to humans.

The investigation revealed that Thanh Hung Service Company Limited was fined due to their large number of people affected by the poisoning incident. The workers showed signs of illness after lunch on June 27, with symptoms including rashes, vomiting, stomachaches