Police in Hanoi Monday said tests have found a carcinogenic substance in chili sauce produced by a local company.

 

The tests were conducted after inspectors discovered on November 18 that materials of unidentified sources like dry chili and preservatives at a plant run by the Tuan Thanh Trade and Investment Joint-stock Company.

 

The health ministry’s National Institute of Testing Food Hygiene and Safety carried out tests that detected Rhodamine B, a chemical compound and a dye with carcinogenic chemical components, in the sauce.

 

Every day the company produces some 150 liters of chili sauce, police said, adding that it had failed to make any commitments to protect the environment or acquire license to release its wastewater into local water sources or to use a wastewater treatment system.

 

The case is being investigated further, police said.