Salt from central region proved safe for consumption

Hanoi (VNA) – The National Agro-Forestry-Fishery Quality Assurance Department has announced that salt produced in some central provinces, where abnormal mass fish deaths occurred recently, is safe for consumers.

The agency collected three salt samples in Ha Tinh province and nine others from Nghe An, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan.

All samples were produced in 2016 and have been tested to satisfy food safety standards on heavy metal contamination.

No sample was collected in Quang Binh, as the local production of salt has been halted since the incident took place.

The remaining central localities – Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue – have no areas for salt production.

In early April, massive fish deaths were reported along beaches in four coastal central provinces - Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, aquacultural farms reported 67 tonnes of dead fish while the volume of natural fish found dead was estimated at 100 tonnes.

Investigation is underway into the cause of the phenomenon, which the Government describes as a serious environment accident.-VNA