I've taken the liberty of underlying a few significant statements. You be the judge of after reviewing the Minnesota Department of Health alert, whether this statement can be accurate.
INTERFOOD SHAREHOLDING COMPANY THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
Lot 13, Tam Phuoc Industrial Zone Independence – Freedom – Happiness
Long Thanh District, Dong nai Province
ANNOUNCEMENT
(with regards the Youth newspaper published misleading information)
Kindly to: STATE SECURITIES COMMITTEE
HO CHI MINH CITY STOCK EXCHANGE
INTERFOOD Shareholding Company is 100% foreign capital invested enterprise, established according to invested license No. 270/GP by Government Committee about Investment (now is Planning & Investment Department) on 16/11/1991, specializing in producing food, beverage caned and biscuits, head office at Lot 13, Tam Ph!"c Industrial Zone, Long Thành district, #$ng Nai province.
Recently on 09/11/2008, the information published by the Youth newspaper that “INTERFOOD has just withdrawn 14 kinds of beverages and biscuits with high melamine” is misleading and malicious to INTERFOOD brands, and seriously impacted our company’s trading and reputation.
We’d like to report this problem with the followings:
- On 06/10/2008:
Early in the discovery of melamine contamination in milk and milk powder, our company took the initiative to actively send samples of raw materials related to milk and milk powder to Quality Measurement Standard Technology Center No. 3 for testing. The result indicated the samples were without melamine.
- On 08/10/2008:
Inspecting office of the Health Department in Dong Nai province inspected our company and required us to choose samples to test for melamine from 28/33 products which have milk and milk powder like raw material, and report the result.
We had sent 28/33 samples to Quality Measurement Standard Technology Center No. 3 for testing and discovered 2 samples with melamine.
- On 22/10/2008:
As requested by a customer, we chose biscuit samples from 2 export consignments for testing at Quality Measurement Standard Technology Center No. 3 and discovered 12 samples withmelamine.
We isolated these 2 export consignments and 2 biscuit samples above were sealed off and not been released.
- On 24/10/2008:
Our company reported to the Inspecting office of Health Department in Dong Nai province about the un-identical result with testing times at the same testing unit as the Inspecting office of Health Department in Dong Nai province and the same produced consignments (only different packaging).
- On 06/11/2008:
Inspecting office of Health Department in Dong Nai province re-inspected above consignments with melamine at the company’s store. They confirmed that those consignments kept and separated at safe area and sealed off in order to be handled. With the un-identical results, we submitted to Inspecting office of Health Department in Dong Nai province about retesting biscuit samples from those consignments at 2 another centers.
Inspecting office of Health Department in Dong Nai province required us to take back products (biscuits) that are having the same name to products with melamine in the market (total is 12 biscuit products, not beverage products), to choose samples for testing and report the result.
- On 09/11/2008:
Youth newspaper published misleading information that “INTERFOOD has just been withdrawn 14 kinds of beverages and biscuits with high melamine”.
- On 10/11/2008:
Our company sent official correspondence to Youth newspaper, Dong Nai Economic Security and Health Department in Dong Nai province to request Youth newspaper to adjust and to be responsible for publishing wrongly that our company’s beverage products with melamine.
- On 12/11/008:
Our company informed to Distributors and Customers about this misleading publication.
- On 13/11/2008:
Our company received official correspondence No. 2353/SYT-TTra from Health Department in
Dong Nai province (hard-copy attached) with the content as below:
+ Health Department in Dong Nai province did not provide any information about Our company’s products related to melamine contamination to Youth newspaper.
+ Health Department in Dong Nai province only provided the list of 12 biscuit products of our company involving melamine to local news such as Dong Nai news and Dong Nai Radio And Television Station.
Today via this writing, our company would like to inform to State Securities Committee and HCM city Stock Exchange the following confirmation and commitments:
1. Strictly confirm that our beverage products contain no melamine! Information from Youth newspaper is misleading and absolutely libelous, this has seriously impacted our trading activities and caused troubles to our distributors and customers who are trading and using our beverage products!
2. We commit to take back and destroy any products with melamine when discovered.
With above we have reported clearly and shown good commitment to the righteous matter. We hope the SSC and HoSE is now clear and will continue supporting our Company.
Best regards.
HCM City, November 17th 2008
For INTERFOOD SHAREHOLDING COMPANY
General Director
(Signed and sealed)
PANG TEE CHIANG