Thai products 'disguised' as Phu Quoc fish sauce, Vietnamese instant noodles

Many Thai products under the labels of Phu Quoc fish sauce, instant noodles, dried pho, and Ben Tre coconut candy are being exported to Europe and the US.

The owner of a business specializing in distributing agricultural products said that during his trips abroad, he was surprised to see Phu Quoc fish sauce products labeled as being produced in Thailand. And when he found out, he realized that it was a Thai product but was "borrowing the name" and labeling it as Phu Quoc fish sauce from Vietnam for consumption.

The story told by the above business leader is nothing new, because recently not only fish sauce, but also other agricultural products such as dried noodles, dried vermicelli... have been banned by Thai businesses,China"borrowing names" to dominate the export market.Products and goods of famous Vietnamese brands in the locality are not only exploited by foreign enterprises, but domestic enterprises also "follow the brand".

Phu Quoc fish sauce must have labels that comply with regulations and meet quality testing standards.

Sharing with VnExpress, Mr. Bui Huy Son, Director of the Trade Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade), acknowledged that specialties associated with geographical indications of localities such as Hoa Loc mango, Nam Roi grapefruit, Phu Quoc fish sauce, Hue beef noodles... have their brands infringed the most. "Brands associated with localities and countries but not properly protected in foreign markets are easily borrowed and exploited," the Director shared.

For example, Phu Quoc fish sauce, Mr. Son said, this product has been recognized as originating in 28 member countries of the European Union, 450,000 liters with the name "Phu Quoc fish sauce" have been sold in this market.

Products protected by geographical indications must go through a very strict production process, from the selection of raw materials such as anchovies, methods, and fermentation tools... All of these stages are strictly controlled by the manufacturer, by the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association and the Association's Control Board.

However, Mr. Son said that among the few products that have been registered for geographical indication protection such as Phu Quoc fish sauce, or most recently Hue beef noodles, protection has not received due attention.

Talking about the story of Phu Quoc fish sauce, despite having a protected geographical indication, but still having its name "borrowed", Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh, Chairwoman of the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association, thoughtfully said, "The path to 'finding a name for myself' for Phu Quoc fish sauce is really arduous."

Not to mention the foreign market, in the domestic market, among the countless enterprises "claiming to produce genuine Phu Quoc fish sauce", only 11 enterprises are using the food safety and quality control stamp for Phu Quoc fish sauce circulating on the market, meaning that the fish sauce is "genuine", has origin and ensures the standards for protecting the product's geographical indication.

“Fish sauce products with labels that say 'Phu Quoc anchovy fish sauce' or 'Phu Quoc anchovy fish sauce', or fish sauce produced in Thailand but with the name Phu Quoc on the label... make consumers mistakenly believe that the product originates from Phu Quoc, but in fact those businesses are just borrowing the name,” the Chairman of the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association explained.

The fact that a national brand product like Phu Quoc fish sauce was “borrowed” has directly affected protected Phu Quoc fish sauce products, leading to misunderstandings when choosing products on the market, said Mr. Pham Ngoc Thanh, Director of Phuc Lam Development & Trading Consulting Joint Stock Company (a distributor of Phu Quoc fish sauce products).

Citing the results of a small survey with 200 consumers, Mr. Thanh was saddened when nearly 100% of the respondents did not correctly identify the protected fish sauce, so they mistakenly bought the product "bearing the name" Phu Quoc. "Therefore, most consumers had to spend money on products that were not of the right quality, not commensurate with the money they spent," said the Director of Phuc Lam Company.

With products that meet quality requirements and geographical indication protection, Mr. Bui Huy Son emphasized that businesses cannot simply wait for customers to come, but must proactively seek out customers.

“Businesses need to further strengthen marketing, promote their image and product quality; proactively participate in the distribution system of large markets like Europe, which have very high requirements. Only then can they compete with 'famous' products and 'knock' these products off the shelves and counters of foreign supermarkets,” Mr. Son emphasized.

According to VNE