Ha Long Canned Food CEO arrested over diseased pork case

Police in Vietnam’s northern port city of Hai Phong on Saturday arrested the CEO of Ha Long Canned Food JSC (Halong Canfoco) and three staff members over their alleged involvement in the storage and processing of diseased pork.

Truong Sy Toan, 57, the company’s CEO, was detained for further investigation into suspected violations related to the collection and cold storage of large quantities of pork infected with disease at the firm’s facilities, according to police.

Investigators said Toan was directly involved in the management and supervision of operations linked to the handling of pork that failed to meet food safety standards.

On the same day, police also arrested three employees from the company’s quality management department: Pham Thi Thuy Lan, 46, deputy head of the department; Bui Thi Thoan, 47, a staff member responsible for raw material quality inspection; and Lai Thi Thanh Huong, 52, an input materials officer.

Authorities said the individuals played roles in inspecting and assessing pork quality before it was warehoused and processed.

According to Hai Phong police, economic crime officers in September 2025 intercepted two trucks transporting 1.2 tons of pork of unknown origin, which later tested positive for African swine fever virus. Subsequent investigations uncovered approximately 130 tons of frozen diseased pork stored at the company’s warehouse.

From the contaminated meat, the company processed more than 1.7 tons of finished pate products, equivalent to around 14,000 cans, from September 6-7, 2025, police said.

Other products were also found to be contaminated, including more than 4,000 kg of spring rolls and over 3,000 kg of premium spring rolls testing positive for African swine fever virus.

In addition, more than 13,000 kg of frozen pork skin and over 8,000 kg of frozen chicken skin were found to contain Salmonella spp, a bacterium that can cause gastrointestinal illness, authorities said.

Investigators said the diseased pork had been sourced from suppliers in Hung Yen province without proper documentation.

After four months of investigation, Hai Phong police earlier charged Bui Duc Trong, 46, and eight others with violations of food safety regulations. All contaminated meat and related products were destroyed in November 2025.

Authorities said investigations are ongoing to determine further responsibilities and expand the case in accordance with the law.

Previously, in a statement sent to the Hanoi Stock Exchange on Thursday, the Hai Phong city-based company had said all nine suspects were not its workers or executives.

According to the company, it was involved in the case only as a recipient of raw materials, based on documents and quarantine certificates provided by sellers that appeared complete and legally issued by competent authorities. "This status has been acknowledged by investigators during the probe."

Halong Canfoco is listed on the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) as CAN. The shares closed Friday at VND29,200 ($1.1) apiece.

Halong Canfoco was established in 1957 in Hai Phong city. The brand is well known in the processed food industry, providing millions of meals to Vietnamese consumers with products such as Hai Phong Cot den (Lighthouse) pâté and canned pork.

The consolidated financial statements for Q3/2025 show that Halong Canfoco’s net revenue reached VND169.7 billion ($6.46 million), down 14.3% from VND198 billion in the same period last year.

The company recorded pre-tax profit of VND9.9 billion ($376,850), skyrocketing 330% year-on-year, and after-tax profit of VND7.6 billion, nearly four times higher than the VND2 billion recorded in Q3/2024.

Cumulatively in the first nine months of 2025, the company reported an after-tax profit of VND11.6 billion ($441,560), compared with a loss of VND5.8 billion in the same period of 2024.