Vietnam Detects 25 Violation Cases of Bottled Water Safety

Vietnamese authorities detected 25 bottled water production facilities violating regulations on food hygiene and safety, advertising and labeling over the past two months, the Ministry of Health said. The ministry’s inspectors made probe into 31 facilities in 12 provinces and cities, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Khanh Hoa, Can Tho and Kien Giang during the period, the Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper cited the ministry as saying Aug 30. The investigation found 13 out of 38 water samples contaminated with microorganism, mainly E.coli that causes diarrhea and intestinal problems. Only two bottled water producers were forced to halt operations. Experts said that more frequent and serious violations by bottled water producers are posing a threat to the public health. Substandard water can result in dangerous diseases, including pneumonia, respiratory infections, ulceration and even immune system failure. Vietnam now has hundreds of thousands of bottled water producers. Low-quality bottled water has recently raised public concern as the management of local authorities in the field was still loose, experts noted. (Sai Gon Giai Phong – Saigon Liberation Aug 30 p7, An Ninh Thu Do online – Capital Security online Aug 30)