Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam has been fined for violating environment protection and food safety regulations.

The company has exceeded the wastewater dumping limit, while its frozen beef and raw pork have been found to be contaminated, and its lettuce failed to meet required safety standards.

The Ho Chi Minh City’s environment police recorded the case earlier this month.

However, Khuat Quang Hung, a company representative, told Tuoi Tre on Wednesday that the environment police failed to follow the correct procedure when taking food and wastewater samples at Metro, resulting in what he said are inaccurate test results.

Hung said police took the wastewater samples in the sewage surrounding Metro, where there was dirty water from other facilities rather than just Metro.

As for the beef, pork, and lettuce samples found to be contaminated, Hung said following the police check, Metro also took these samples for tests at independent centers, and no contaminations were found.

Hung added that before being stocked at Metro warehouses, the imported produce passed checks by the customs and animal health agencies.

Hung said Metro had lodged a complaint on the incorrect process of the environment police and asked to have the samples re-tested by an independent agency.

“But they rejected us,” he said.