Hand-carried country food is on the rise

(Baonghean) - Fearing eating "dirty" food, instead of going to the market or supermarket, many city housewives compete to find food from the countryside such as: hill chicken, garden vegetables, freshwater fish... to ensure "clean" meals for their families.

Hesitant when going to the market

Information about a series of violations of food hygiene and safety in the use of chemicals to help livestock and plants grow faster, many foods have been "magically" transformed from black to white, causing confusion for consumers. "Every time I go to the market, I feel scared because I don't know which food is real and which is fake. I only choose seasonal products and familiar places to sell, but I still feel uneasy," said Ms. Loan in Hung Dung Ward, Vinh City.

Stalls selling mountain foods such as pumpkin, corn, potatoes, cassava, etc. at Hung Dung market.

The anxiety of buying the “wrong” food is not only Ms. Loan’s concern but is also a common concern of many housewives. Ms. Huong in Hung Loc Ward, Vinh City said: “Yesterday I had to throw away a whole pot of meat because I didn’t pay attention when I bought it. When I finished cooking, I saw many pieces of meat with white spots and an unusual smell. My family will probably have to switch to eating vegetables, beans, and fish...”.

Understanding the consumer psychology of the people, many stalls at Ga, Quang Trung, Hung Dung markets... sell local food. At the same time, there are many people doing small business, collecting goods from the countryside to bring to the city to sell. Typically, some people even take advantage of going back to the countryside to "collect" bunches of vegetables, fish... because they think food will be safer.

Bustling rural food market

Once a week, Ms. Hong Hanh in Truong Thi Ward, Vinh City receives vegetables, fish, meat... from Tan Ky District sent by her mother. Ms. Hanh shared: "My family has a small child who often has to cook nutritious porridge, so we need to ensure the quality, so my mother in the countryside chooses to buy vegetables, tubers, meat... directly from the source, which is very reassuring and cheap...". Ms. Hanh is lucky to have a "source" of clean food with a specific address, but many others only trust in "countryside goods" businesses.

Ky Son green, fresh, crispy and sweet mustard greens cost from 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg.

To meet consumer demand, many online food shopping sites are also bustling with hometown foods and advertisements such as clean pork from Ky Son, clean vegetables from Nghia Dan, fresh bamboo shoots from Quy Chau, "genuine" freshwater fish... Mr. Manh Hung, a person who specializes in "carrying" food from Ky Son to Vinh, said: "In the past, I often brought food from my hometown, sometimes sharing it with people in the same neighborhood. Gradually, people asked me to buy a few kilos of meat, a few kilos of fish or bunches of vegetables, from there, I came up with the idea of ​​starting a business. I posted the products online and mainly received support from friends, teachers and colleagues. Every month, I buy about 250 - 300 bunches of vegetables, 100 - 150kg of meat...

Country chicken.

In Vinh city, many stores selling clean agricultural products and rural foods have also opened on Quang Trung street, Phong Dinh Cang street... Although the prices are higher than in the market from 10,000 - 30,000 VND depending on the type, they are still crowded with buyers such as sweet cabbage 25,000 VND/kg; taro 30,000 VND/kg; wild boar meat from 400,000 - 500,000 VND/kg; fresh fish 380,000 VND/kg...

However, most of the sources of rural food are advertised by the sellers and the buyers themselves verify the quality by experience, not through quality control agencies. Therefore, consumers must be really smart and discerning to avoid buying poor quality food labeled as rural goods./.

Phuong Thuy