While South Korea’s “waste chickens,” or old hens that no longer produce eggs, are used in other countries to make animal feed, in Vietnam they are widely sold in nationwide supermarkets, and even enjoy strong consumption from locals. The local media has paid close attention to the poultry over the last few weeks, citing scientists’ concerns that the chickens may contain a large amount of antibiotic residues. Big C, one of the largest retailing chains in Vietnam, announced on Thursday that they have pulled the chickens off shelves throughout its system. Korean chickens, normally weighing 1.2 to 1.5 kilograms, are available at VND47,000 (roughly US$2.5) a kg, only half of the rate of the domestic chickens, which helps them win over customers. Besides the fresh meat, there are also processed chickens with Korean origins, which are on sale at VND62,000 a kg. “I don’t know much about its quality and hygiene, but choose to buy it because of the tough meat and delicious smell,” said Thu Hong, when shopping at the Bic C To Hien Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 10. The Korean poultry is the most-consumed out of other processed chicken at the supermarket, she added. Such positive consumption has also been recorded at other Big C supermarkets in Hanoi. An attendant said the buyers are mostly students and low-income earners. All of the products bear labels with adequate information about origins and importers. The Korean chickens in Metro An Phu in District 2 are imported by the Dung Thanh Dat Co Ltd, according to the package label. Big C said they sourced the products from Hoang Long Phat Food Co, which imported them from the Korea-based IM GOK Farm. “All of the meats have food safety and hygiene certificates, and we have so far received no negative responses from consumers,” said PR executive Huynh Thi Ngoc Tram. However, Big C has now stopped selling the products to wait for a conclusion from authorities, she added.No harm? A hen will typically stop producing eggs and be eliminated after one year, a period during which it is injected with many vaccines and antibiotics, according to the owner of a chicken farm in Dong Nai. “So it’s likely that there are still antibiotic residues in the old Korean hens,” he said. Meanwhile, Nguyen Xuan Binh, director of the Animal Health Agency, said the available Korean chickens may have been imported earlier this year, as his agency has received no import registrations over the last few months. All of the imported batches have obtained hygiene certificates, and there have been no violations reported thus far, he added. What should be of concern is that the chickens are not well-known for quality, commented Nguyen Dang Vang, chairman of the Vietnam Husbandry Association. “Waste chickens, as well as their necks, legs, or wings, are usually used to make animal feed in other countries, so it’s not advised that Vietnamese consumers eat these meats,” he said. “The government should have a policy to limit or ban such chickens if they are imported to make human food.”