The Transparent Food Fair took place on the campus of the School of Agricultural and Rural Development Managers II. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
The 2022 “Transparent Food” Market (referred to as Fair – PV) is organized by the Association of Food Transparency (AFT) at the School of Agricultural and Rural Development Managers II – No. 45 Dinh Tien Hoang, Ben Nghe District, 1 am October 22nd and 23rd and marks the return after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
With 30 booths of honest, friendly agricultural producers, traders and food processors who are transparent, responsible and reputable, it is a place of convergence and connection, giving consumers in Ho Chi Minh City the opportunity to access many specialties, access clean and safe food. Thereby building a safe and informed consumer community.
Vegetables and fruits from Organica Company with organic chain stores in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi. Organica has spent many years guiding and supporting many vegetable gardens and farmers’ cooperatives to achieve international organic certification. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, Chairwoman of the Transparency Food Association, said: “The fair was established in 2018 with the aim of building and developing the market of safe food products for human health, and helping food manufacturers to produce branded products, reputable and safe products to introduce products; Promoting the supply chain to educate consumers about the safe and transparent use of food.
Up to now, AFT has successfully organized more than 80 fairs with the participation of many companies and consumer community, and has become an annual activity of Binh Bach Food Association.
Consumers are enjoying Hainan Foods’ dried fish. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
According to Ms Minh, producing clean, transparent food comes with many difficulties, such as being competitive. Meanwhile, consumers currently lack confidence in clean food. This is not only putting pressure on small and medium-sized businesses, but also on multi-million dollar manufacturers and exporters who want to bring good food to Vietnamese consumers.
“Thank you to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Principal of School of Agricultural Management and Rural Development II, Ben Nghe Ward People’s Committee and Ministry of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City for their support for the Transparent Food Association to have a venue that helps clean food companies achieve production, market and development.
Chicken and duck eggs raised with herbs from Vuong Huynh Farm cost between VND 35,000 and VND 50,000/dozen depending on the type. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
This is the place for businesses to reach out to customers and have a thicker customer base. Expect more companies to get involved here so they have a place to connect with customers and thereby develop commercial products.
Hopefully there will be more places to support such a market development to help small farmers or really safe food companies to develop and this product line is getting bigger and bigger to dominate. Opt for food of unknown origin, without certification…” Ms. Minh said.
GC Food products sold at the Transparent Food Fair receive up to 30% discount. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
Ms. Bui Thi Mai Hien, general manager of GC Food Joint Stock Company (GC Food), said the unit launched two main products today, aloe vera and coconut jelly. There is also the sweet Huynh Long melon from GC Food’s Sunny and Wind Farm. Currently GC Food has two production sites and one farm, all products are proactively sourced from farms. During cultivation, all are controlled according to three criteria: no genetically modified seeds, no growth substances and no post-harvest preservatives. GC Food works in an agroecological cycle.
“At this show, we want to be one of the entities that control the production process, cultivate and trace all origins from raw materials to the production process of the products transparently, and want to reach many consumers and convey a message to consumers about the benefits of using cleaner, more transparent and original products.
We look forward to accompanying all other companies so that consumers can better access and understand the production process and control product quality in the most transparent and clear way,” said the director of GC Food.
Currently this grape seaweed product is sold to consumers through distribution systems such as supermarkets Aeon, Emart, An Nam, FamilyMart, Co.op Mart… In addition, it is distributed to restaurants, especially a Japanese restaurant, and also exported to Japan, Taiwan and other countries. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
As one of the member units of Transparency Food Association, Hainan Manufacturing Trading Co., Ltd (Hainan Foods) provides dry goods such as grilled fish, grilled squid, fishball, redfish, grilled herring, crispy dried shrimp, salmon cotton on balls, dried shrimp, especially Okinawa-Hainan – Grape seaweed products.
Ms. Ngo Thi Doan Phuong, director of business strategy at Hai Nam Foods, said that Hainan-Okinawa grape seaweed is grown in a clean seawater tank using agricultural technology from Japan.
“We want our products to be accessible to consumers and have the opportunity to explain them in more detail at the show so they understand origin transparency and traceability. It also aims to give consumers the opportunity to experience the product and can buy it at home to try it out in order to have more access to the product,” Ms. Phuong said.
At the fair, Proci Co., Ltd – a professional citizen – brought PGS organic certified organic vegetable products from small farmers/ethnic people in Lam Dong, Ben Tre, Ca Mau.
Various pies, sausages from Le Chef. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
Transparency Food Association Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hong Minh said Eurofins Sac Ky Hai Dang International Quality Testing Company (a member of Eurofins Scientific Group) picked sponsored and randomly selected products in the market for food sample testing this morning. “The companies participating in the fair are all reputable entities that meet many domestic and foreign standards, so they do not hesitate to take samples for testing. Taking samples for testing to prove to consumers that the food brought to the fair must be really good and safe food,” Ms. Minh informed.
Fermented white ginseng from Wisconsin (USA), a particularly health-promoting product. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
“This morning I went to this campus for coffee with my friends, so I happened to see the market that was selling a lot of agricultural products, which looked very eye-catching. Me and my friend also bought many farm products and groceries from many Prestige production units to prepare next week’s family meals like cantaloupe melon, seaweed, vegetables, avocados, cooking oil from GC Foods… I think there should be more markets like this in residential areas, urban areas, even in offices and … give agencies like this, it is very convenient for office workers like us. It is both convenient and quality assured,” said Ms. Doan Thi Thanh.
Noodles, Vermicelli, Pho… and Sa Giang Shrimp Crackers – a long-established brand, now belongs to Vinh Hoan Group – the largest producer and exporter of pangasius in Vietnam. Picture: Nguyen Thuy.
It is known that companies participating in the exhibition will receive Traceverified JSC sponsorship package for 30 manufacturers for traceability, each business sponsorship package will be sponsored with VND 29 million – which accounts for 80% of the service prices.