'3 no' Tet candies and jams flood Nghe An market

"3 no" candies: No packaging, no labels, no expiration date are sold everywhere on the market. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Dinh Tay Vinh market these days is bustling with sellers and buyers, especially dry goods such as candy, jam, nuts. Colorful candies with all kinds of Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese characters... are contained in transparent plastic bags, cardboard boxes or plastic baskets. These candies are sold by weight with prices ranging from 30,000 - 50,000 VND/kg, the "higher-end" types are advertised as "imported" candies such as chocolate, jelly, cereal candies with prices ranging from 120,000 - 150,000 VND/kg.

At first glance, all these candies are colorful and eye-catching, with diverse designs but no labels, the place of manufacture is printed in tiny, blurry letters on the inside, and you can't find the expiration date even after looking hard. Asking Ms. VH, the owner of a candy kiosk in Dinh Tay, Vinh market, about this question, she received the answer: "Rest assured to buy, all the goods are newly imported, wholesale so buy by the ton, a ton of candy packed in large packages, the expiration date is on the outside of the large package. Because there is no need to pack, sold by weight, so it is cheap, other types are expensive because of packaging and labeling fees."

These candies are sold by weight at 30,000 - 50,000 VND/kg. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Not only candies and cakes, but also Tet jams such as coconut jam, pumpkin jam, ginger jam; apricot jam, plum jam, kiwi jam and dried fruits, sunflower seeds, pistachios, melon seeds... are all "3 no's", but there are quite a lot of wholesale and retail buyers at these candy stores.

Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, a small trader, said: “Retail sales are small, about a few hundred kilograms per day. Mostly wholesale, especially in rural and mountainous areas. Every Tet holiday, there are hundreds of orders, wholesale tons of candy. The best-selling items are dried fruits, jams and nuts. The market there is very easy to consume these items because the prices are cheap, suitable for consumers' budgets.”

Besides the “3 no” confectionery and jam products, there are many types of confectionery that imitate famous brands. If you only observe with the naked eye, it is difficult to detect which is real and which is fake. However, if you open the box, you will easily see that the fake cakes have fewer pieces, are lighter in weight and of course the quality is far inferior to the real ones.

The prices of fake candies are very cheap (only 1/4 of the real price) so many people still choose to buy them. Ms. Trinh Thi Diu, a trader from the district who comes to buy goods at a candy store on Ngo Duc Ke Street, Vinh City, admitted: "This product is very suitable for the rural market because the price is reasonable, the packaging and design are beautiful, no different from the real cake. During Tet, people eat less, buy more to go out or give as gifts, so people only care about the design and the price is reasonable...".

A representative of a reputable confectionery business in Vinh City said: “The time before Tet is the time when counterfeit and fake products flood the market and become more complicated. Most of these products do not meet the requirements of production processes and food hygiene and safety. Therefore, consumers need to be extremely careful when shopping for Tet to ensure the health of their families and loved ones."

Not only Vinh market - where these items are sold wholesale, but also other retail markets in the city such as Ga market, Quan Lau market, Ben Thuy market, Quyet market... all sell candies of unknown origin.

Especially in rural and mountainous areas, "3-no" candies and candies that imitate famous brands are commonly sold in traditional markets, stores, and grocery stores.

Authorities inspect Tet candies in Vinh city. Photo: Quang An

Faced with the widespread situation of fake confectionery, unknown origin, no expiry date, to protect the health of relatives and family, when choosing to buy Tet confectionery products, consumers need to pay attention to choosing products from famous, reputable brands on the market, buy at official, reliable points of sale. Do not buy floating products without labels, unknown origin. At the same time, pay close attention to information about the place of manufacture, ingredients, date of manufacture, expiry date and how to preserve the product, declare compliance with food safety regulations printed on the packaging.

In addition, functional sectors need to strengthen inspection and strictly control the business activities and trade of counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, goods of unknown origin and origin at commercial centers, markets, wholesale and retail agents, grocery stores... to promptly detect and prevent to protect consumer rights.