The HCM City Products Week 2023 on Food and Beverages held from December 19-25 hopes to effectively bolster the general food and foodstuff industry and bring high-quality products closer to customers. — VNS Photo Xuân Đăng

HCM CITY — The HCM City Products Week 2023 on Food and Beverages, which started today in HCM City, is part of the city’s strategic programme to foster trade and the growth of the food and foodstuff industry.

Held by the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of HCM City (ITPC) and the Food and Foodstuff Association of HCM City (FFA), the event is a means for businesses to connect with potential distribution channels and promote their products.

The food and foodstuff industry is among the key industries of HCM City, accounting for 14-15 per cent of total industrial production value, and has relatively stable growth despite the ongoing economic downturn, said Trần Phú Lữ, director of ITPC.

Lữ added that the industry has improved significantly, with more high-quality products and brands, while domestic products have not only gained a firm foothold in the domestic market, outnumbering imports, and but also been exported to other countries.

This is attributed to businesses applying high-tech production and using green, organic, and sustainable materials to meet high standards set by countries like the US, Japan, and the EU, he said.

With hopes of expanding their market, many businesses have also tried to make their products Halal-certified to penetrate Muslim countries.

The exhibition reflects joint efforts from both city authorities and food enterprises to propel the industry towards a green, clean, and organic future, with affordable and high-quality products of around 100 exemplary businesses from sectors like consumer goods, dried products, fisheries, confectionaries, beverages, and clean agricultural produce.

OCOP (One Commune One Product) products and regional specialties are also introduced by businesses from Long An, Kiên Giang, Cần Thơ, Bến Tre, Khánh Hòa, KonTum, An Giang, Ninh Thuận, and other provinces.

Seminars, forums, and discussions are also parts of the event, one of which is the “ESG - The Green Criteria for the Food and Foodstuff Industry” seminar on December 20. It centres around solutions for food businesses to improve their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) index during production and create more competitive and quality export products to become a part of the global supply and value chain.

The exhibition continues until December 25 at the HCM City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre. VNS