October 11, 2012

Vietnam consumers await authorities' decision on safety of South Korean chicken

Despite local newspapers running conflicting reports on the outcome, Vietnamese consumers await for the authorities' final conclusion about the safety of South Korean chickens.

Le Thu Hong in HCM City's District 10, said she and other housewives chose to buy South Korea's chickens because of their firm texture and delicious smell. "But now I have to stop buying them because of worries about its quality and hygiene and must wait for the official information."

And while the Animal Health Department responsible for granting quarantine certificates for imported products confirmed the chickens meet food safety and hygiene standards, the Department of Livestock Husbandary, responsible for domestic livestock has yet to give any comment.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, director of the Animal Health Agency of Area VI, branch of Animal Health Department, said all of the imported chickens from South Korea have obtained hygiene certificates, and there have been no violations reported so far.

There are nine Vietnamese companies licensed to import South Korea's chickens for domestic consumption. They have gone through a strict inspection process by both countries' animal health departments and customs offices, he said: "Samples of these chickens tested for their quality have met the country's food safety and hygiene standards and have proved to be safe."

He also confirmed that the chickens are not old hens that no longer lay eggs as earlier rumours. The statistics of the Vietnamese agency have shown more than 60,000 chickens are imported every month from South Korea.

Each weighs between 1.2-1.5 kilogrammes and costs just half the price of domestic chickens. Viet Nam News on Tuesday (Oct 9) tried to reach the Livestock Husbandary Department but they were unavailable for comment.

Binh also said imports of these chickens do not affect the production of domestic livestocks.

Meanwhile, Tran Cong Xuan, chairman of Viet Nam's Livestock Husbandary Association said imports of poultry from any country is affecting domestic livestock production given the current economic situation.