Vietnam: Inspectors of the Ministry of Health in Vietnam has stopped the circulation of green tea C2 manufactured on February 2 and two batches of energy drink Rong Do (Red Dragon) on November 10 and February 19, Nguyen Van Nhien, chief inspector from the ministry, said Friday.
The products have shown different conflicting results of lead contamination level of 0.053 to 0.085 mg/l, above the permitted limit of 0.05 mg/l.. The information has left some customers puzzled about the issues of health after the intake of the product.
Red Dragon
URC Vietnam is owned by a Phillipines beverage firm and produces the C2 tea that comes with lemon, apple, orange and strawberry flavours. They also produce Rong Do, which is an energy drink.
The company was marred with scandal last year after a Vietnamese consumer, Phan Quoc Phuc from Dong Nai bought C2 green tea to sell to his customers, and after a few days, he noticed the bottle turns opaque and contains sedimentation around the bottle, the bottom contains different particles, and strange milky liquid floating inside the drink. At the time of purchase, the bottle production and expiry date were; 14/09/2014 to date 09/14/2015.
Phuc holding a bottle with one of the bad C2 drinks
The bottle was intact and tightly closed. Phuc contacted the company immediately for what he saw inside the bottle, and representatives from URC paid him a visit, after carefully looking at the items confirmed that it is from their company, but told him it appears that the products have been damaged.
The company decided to bargain with Phuc to give them the pack that is contaminated with 3 different packs of C2 tea, but the young man rejected, and instead ask that the company reviews its own production process and quality, and he will await an update soon.
A letter was sent to Phuc explaining the contamination and the milky liquid inside the bottle. They said in their note that the contamination was not due to production of the products, but instead was caused due to transportation, and the bottles bumping into each other, and in the process, air infiltrated the product.
Not satisfied with the answer, he decided to involve the press, and he told them what happened, and how said after 1-month ultimatum on what happened, he was not satisfied with their answer.
This is a copy of the letter sent to Phuc;
Bribery Scandal Vs National Institute for Food Control (NIFC)
According to a local media, Thanhniennews, the National Institute for Food Control (NIFC) was accused of receiving (US$44,730) from URC Vietnam to modify the result of the test result of C2 and Rong Do, but the ministry has denied the allegation of bribery and has said it will fully co-operate with investigation processes of the products.
The bribery scandal was shared on social media, and was said to have been reported by an insider of URC Vietnam, accusing 2 officers receiving the bribe.
The director of the agency of the agency, Le Thi Hong Hao said;
We are willing to cooperate with relevant agencies to find out the motives of those behind these rumors.
The Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) conducted random test on 10 different products of C2 and Rong Do on May 13 and confirmed that the levels of leads of these products were normal.
This is a copy of the suspension letter URC was served
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health Fined URC Vietnam $260,000 For Lead Contamination In Its Drinks