December 27, 2019

Ho Chi Minh food companies to ensure adequate supplies for Tet

Ahead of the Tet holiday which will fall on January 25, businesses in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City will provide consumers with new specialty products such as herbal chicken and pork, and Banh Chung cake with multiple fillers to ensure adequate supplies, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Food processing companies have been researching and producing special food items for Tet to meet the growing demands of consumers.

Le Thi Thanh Tam, deputy general director of Sai Gon Food, said besides the traditional Banh Chung with pork and green beans, this year the company is offering a new "Banh Chung Sum Vay" with roasted chicken, salted egg, lotus seed and shiitake mushrooms.

Vissan, the country's leading food processing company, will provide the Tet market with 7,500 tonnes of goods, 17% more than last year, including nine new products made exclusively for the holiday such as herbal pork, stewed bone broth, Da Nang beef rolls, Super 5 sausage, and pork skin with garlic and chili.

Vissan has also launched an improved Caramelised Pork and Eggs suited to traditional Vietnamese flavours, which will help support consumers who have been affected by increasing pork prices due to African swine fever (ASF).

Vissan has signed contracts with "many farmers and companies" to ensure sufficient supply of pork and processed products.

Apart from special food products, HCM City authorities are working with local businesses to ensure supply of essential goods under a market stabilisation programme for the Tet holiday. The essential foods include 10 commodity groups that usually account for 25-30% of market demand which often rises to 30-40% in the months before and during Tet.

Saigon Co.op, which provides essential goods in all commodity groups in the price stabilisation programme, said it has ensured supply and allocated sufficient capital for satellite enterprises to prepare goods.