Salmonella, a pathogen responsible for foodborne infections, was found in a pâté sample from a bakery in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam where 149 people suffered food poisoning after eating banh mi bought from the joint.

Banh mi, a type of Vietnamese baguette filled with cold meats, pâté, and vegetables, is a popular dish in Vietnam.

The Dong Thap Department of Health on Friday announced the cause of the food poisoning case, saying that local authorities tested stool samples of 51 patients and five food samples from Hong Ngoc 12 bakery, located in the provincial city of Hong Ngu.

The stool samples taken from 29 of the patients tested positive for Salmonella.

Among the five food samples, only the pâté sample was identified to contain Salmonella.

At 4:30 pm on August 6, Hong Ngu 12 bakery’s staff member delivered 33 loaves of banh mi to Hong Ngu-based Thai Duong Company, where 30 employees consumed the dish during their evening shift.

On the following day, 20 employees of this company were hospitalized after they developed symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. 

Between August 8 and 15, more Hong Ngu residents and non-residents were hospitalized with most of them claiming that they had consumed banh mi from Hong Ngoc 12 bakery.

The victims were admitted to six general hospitals and medical centers in the province.

Of the patients, 142 have been discharged from hospital, while seven others are still receiving treatment.

Hong Ngoc 12 bakery was forced to fully suspend its operations at 9:30 am on August 8.

The administration in Hong Ngu City said it was completing procedures to impose an administrative fine on the bakery.

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