Health inspectors from Ho Chi Minh City disposed of nearly 3,000 eggs that did not meet food safety and hygiene requirements during an inspection carried out Tuesday.

The inspection also found many pork bologna samples contaminated with borax, as well as nearly 51 kilograms of seasonings that were out of date.

They also sealed 6.5 kilograms of grilled fish fillet that was suspected of containing borax, a chemical compound used for cleaning purposes but illegally added to fish and meat products to make them tough.

Many retailers and producers who’d been given food safety and hygiene before failed the inspection this time, they said.

Officials from the city Health Department gave out new safety certificates at the markets during the inspection, encouraging consumers to buy from the booths with safety tags to improve the food hygiene and safety situation in the area, said doctor Pham Viet Thanh, director of HCMC Health Department.

Around half the booths in city markets have received the certificates, including 80 percent of booths at the wholesale market Tam Binh in Thu Duc District, Binh Dien in Binh Tan District and Hoc Mon in Hoc Mon District, which supply around 80 percent of food products to the city.

Health officials typically step up inspections for food safety and hygiene when the Tet festival is near and demand for food products increases sharply.

The Lunar New Year falls on February 3 this year.