Ten cases of Clostridium botulinum poisoning occurred from mid-July to mid-August of 2020, according to the Food Safety Department of Vietnam. All ten victims were treated in the hospital, with two exhibiting severe symptoms. The two elderly victims with severe symptoms of Clostridium botulinum poisoning reported having eaten canned, plant-based pate. Samples of the leftover pate were analyzed by two separate institutions and found to contain Clostridium botulinum toxin, which can be fatal when ingested in a quantity of less than 0.1 mg.
The Food Safety department convened an urgent meeting with the manufacturer of the pate. The pate was confirmed to have become contaminated with Clostridium botulinum during production. Product recall notices, consumer recommendations, and written requests for handling the case were issued in quick succession.
FoodWorld 