Vietnam coffee chains halt lychee drinks linked to scandal-ridden Ha Long Canned Food JSC

Many food and beverage brands said they have temporarily suspended sales of certain products linked to Ha Long Canned Food JSC (Halong Canfoco) after Hai Phong city police on Wednesday disclosed their discovery of 130 tons of pork infected with African swine fever at the company's warehouse.

The Coffee House on Saturday stated that sales of two items - Fujian lotus lychee tea and lychee Americano - were temporarily suspended “due to the use of an ingredient sourced from the supplier,” with no timeline given for when they will resume.

On its Facebook page, it said it is switching to alternative suppliers that meet food safety and quality standards.

The Coffee House added that its bread products do not use pâté or any meat-based items supplied by Halong Canfoco.

Phuc Long Heritage JSC, a beverage subsidiary of Masan Group (HoSE: MSN), told local media that it does not use any meat-based products supplied by Halong Canfoco across its nationwide store network.

The company said any exposure was limited to lychee-related ingredients. Since Friday, the beverage chain has suspended sourcing lychee ingredients from Halong Canfoco and switched to alternative suppliers.

Also on Friday, Highlands Coffee, Vietnam’s largest coffee chain, stated that it does not use pâté or processed pork supplied by Halong Canfoco.

At many Highlands Coffee outlets in Hanoi, on Saturday, staff said sales of lychee jelly tea had been suspended, while golden lotus tea - one of the chain’s best-selling drinks - remained available. Some stores, however, said they were still serving lychee jelly tea without the lychee fruit if customers agreed.

On food delivery platforms, both drinks remained available for order at the brand’s outlets. The coffee chain clarified that it had used canned lotus seeds and lychee supplied by Halong Canfoco. However, it said, Halong Canfoco was only one of many suppliers and that Highlands Coffee has now fully stopped using all ingredients from the firm.

As for the temporary suspension of popular items such as golden lotus tea or lychee tea at some outlets, the chain said the move was not systemwide and applied only to selected stores during the transition to alternative suppliers.

On its website, Halong Canfoco lists major retail partners including Lotte Mart, Saigon Co.op, GO!, MM Mega Market, Winmart, and Aeon Mall.

Immediately after the incident was disclosed, major supermarket chains removed Halong Canfoco products from their shelves.

Representatives of GO!, MM Mega Market, Winmart, Lotte Mart and Saigon Co.op said they have begun reviewing their inventories and are proactively recalling related products across their nationwide systems.

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.

Hai Phong police on Saturday arrested CEO of Halong Canfoco Truong Sy Toan and three staff members over their alleged involvement in the storage and processing of diseased pork.

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.