Hanoi  - Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have seized 48 tons of chicken legs imported from Poland that failed food safety standards, an official said Friday.

The veterinary department in Ho Chi Minh City's Binh Chanh District discovered the offending chicken legs on Wednesday, said department director Dinh Thi Hong Hanh.

Hanh said the chicken legs, imported from the Landamasy Polska Company of Poland by Viet My Import-Export Company, had passed inspections at the seaport terminal. But a double-check by the district veterinary department found chicken legs still bearing feathers, outer skin, and claws, and contaminated with bacteria.

Hanh confirmed reports in the newspaper Thanh Nien that at least 300 kilograms of the chicken legs had already been sold to customers.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, director of the veterinary zone for Ho Chi Minh City, was quoted in local newspaper Thanh Nien saying he suspected the importer had mixed packages that met sanitary standards with some that did not.

Vietnam imports large quantities of chicken legs. In contrast to American and European consumers, Vietnamese customers generally prefer chicken legs to breasts. (dpa)