More than 500kgs of stale buffalo and bull hooves were seized in central Ha Tinh Province yesterday, according to head of the police patrol No 61 Dang Doan Tu.

Police said they could smell the stale meat when officers stopped the car for a check. They soon discovered the hooves stored in eight sponge boxes.

The car's driver said he was transporting the meat from Thanh Hoa Province for sale in HCM City, but he did not have any quarantine receipts or documents proving the origin of the meat.

On Friday, a police patrol also seized more than 200kg of animal fats that had turned stale.

Previously, 13 tonnes of meat of unknown origin was seized in Thu Duc District, HCM City, including 10 tonnes of chicken legs and 3 tonnes of pork.

The meat was being transported from Ha Noi to HCM City. The high number of cases of stale meat seized by authorities recently has aroused concerns over food hygiene and safety.

Under Decree 45/2005/ND/CP, people who sell stale meat can be fined between VND10-15 million (US$480-715).

According to statistics from the Viet Nam Food Administration, there were more than 970 food-poisoning cases reported during the last two months.

Source: VNS