Saigon Co.op said it made the decision “to protect customers as well as the retailer’s prestige.”

Police on Friday found 26 tons of expired flavor materials at a Tan Hiep Phat-owned warehouse in Binh Thanh District.

The police later found about 1,200 liters of expired flavor materials at another Tan Hiep Phat storage facility in Binh Duong Province.

Tuoi Tre quoted the company’s chairman Tran Quy Thanh as saying that the materials were no longer used and had been sold, or were meant to be sold.

Saigon Co.op said it would hold a meeting with Tan Hiep Phat to clarify the situation and would return products to the shelves if the company could prove they were safe.

Reported by Minh Quang