Ha Long Canned Food says no staff involved in diseased pork case

Ha Long Canned Food JSC (Halong Canfoco) said it was not directly involved in a criminal case related to the purchase of African swine fever (ASF)-infected pork, after Vietnamese authorities arrested and charged nine individuals for violations of food safety regulations.

In a statement sent to the Hanoi Stock Exchange on Thursday, the Hai Phong city-based company, listed under ticker CAN, 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, it said.

Vietnamese police stated the suspects were charged with purchasing pork infected with African swine fever, falsifying and legalizing quarantine documents, and circulating the raw materials in violation of food safety laws.

Ha Long Canned Food said it had proactively reported the incident and fully cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation. The company said it strictly complied with official orders to quarantine and destroy the entire batch of violating raw materials, while reviewing its supplier selection and input control procedures to strengthen risk prevention across its supply chain.

The firm described the incident as a serious supply-chain disruption that could affect its reputation and short-term business operations. However, it stressed that the contaminated raw materials were not supplied to the market.

“All products currently on the market fully comply with food safety regulations and are strictly controlled under our internal procedures,” the company said, adding that its factory continues to maintain international food safety certifications including ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000, and remains subject to regular inspections by authorities.

Ha Long Canned Food said its production and business operations remain stable and uninterrupted, with no material disruption. The company pledged to further strengthen supply chain oversight, risk management, and compliance with food safety and disclosure regulations.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Hai Phong city police said they had initiated legal proceedings against nine suspects on December 24, 2025 for supplying and trading food derived from dead or diseased pigs infected with ASF.

Authorities said the suspects had been sourcing diseased pork for about six months and selling it to Ha Long Canned Food. To evade quarantine requirements, the meat was declared as being consumed within local jurisdictions, while its origin was legalized using documents from registered slaughterhouses obtained from other transactions.

During inspections, authorities found more than 120 tons of pork stored at the company’s warehouse, including frozen stock, processed meat, and freshly slaughtered pork. All samples tested positive for African swine fever, according to officials.

Investigators noted that although the company maintained the contaminated materials were not used in production, around two tons had entered the processing line and were turned into canned meat products. These products were later seized and destroyed by authorities.