Delegates attend the opening ceremony of Vietfood & Beverage – Propack Vietnam held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City from August 7 to 9. —VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Vietfood & Beverage – Propack Vietnam, the country’s largest international exhibition in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, opened in HCM City on Thursday.

The expo has brought together 1,000 businesses from 20 countries and territories, showcasing over 10,000 brands in the food and beverage industry with 1,400 booths.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngoc, said the food and foodstuff industry is the city’s key industrial sector.

The gross regional domestic product of the former HCM City surged by 7.8 per cent in the first half of this year, higher than the national average of 7.5 per cent, Ngọc said.

Industrial production has seen a sustainable recovery, with the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rising 8.6 per cent, of which the food and foodstuff industry’s IIP rose by 3.8 per cent.

Over the period, revenue from retail goods and services rose by 15.8 per cent. 

The city’s exports reached US$31.6 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13 per cent, accounting for over 15 per cent of the country’s total export turnover, with the food and foodstuff sector continuing to play a key role.

The positive results in the production and exports of the food and foodstuff industry in the first half of the year demonstrate the strong potential of the sector, she said.

The city is implementing activities to encourage and support food and foodstuff enterprises to invest in modern machinery and equipment and apply new technologies in order to enhance added value and product quality. 

The Vietfood & Beverage – Propack will open up opportunities for product display, promotion, market expansion, and technology transfer for both domestic and international businesses, she said.

In the beverage segment, the expo has brought together creative and sustainable products with healthy beverage lines, drinks from organic ingredients, branded drinks associated with local elements and regional culinary identity.

For the processed food segment, the event witnessed the rise of clean and safe convenient food, products applying AI and automation in processing, smart packaged products, and extending expiration without using preservatives. 

The expo also features breakthroughs in automation, printing technology and smart packaging, which help to reduce costs, increase productivity, ensure food safety and meet export standards.

Within the framework of the expo, the “Green Packaging Forum: EPR Journey Towards Sustainable Value” will be held on August 8, focusing on policies and a roadmap for implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the packaging sector.

The forum, co-hosted by Việt Nam News and Law under the Vietnam News Agency and VINEXAD, will gather government officials, industry associations, producers, importers, recyclers, international organisations, environmental startups, academics and policy experts.

It will help enterprises to better understand their legal obligations and find optimal solutions in handling discarded packaging, increasing recycling rates, and designing environmentally friendly products.

The F&B technical seminar “Leverage technology and artificial intelligence in the food supply chain” co-hosted by HCM City Food and Foodstuff Association and VINEXAD will discuss advanced solutions in supply chain management such as AI demand forecasting, blockchain traceability, and logistics process automation. 

Visitors at Vietfood & Beverage – Propack Vietnam, the largest international exhibition in the F&B industry in Việt Nam, held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City from August 7 to 9. —VNS Photo

The Liang Zhi Long (Vietnam) Food Ingredients Pavilion marks the first time Liang Zhi Long Group has brought its enterprises to participate in an exhibition in Việt Nam and launch its strategy to expand into international markets. 

The Liang Zhi Long Pavilion will feature interactive activities such as buyer matching, themed seminars, product tasting and QR-guided tours to enhance visitor engagement and brand recognition.

The expo, which combines food, beverage and processing technology, and packaging for food and beverage, has been held annually in HCM City and Hà Nội since 1996 by VINEXAD and the HCM City Food and Foodstuff Association, and the Việt Nam Alcohol, Beer and Beverage Association.

The event, held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre, will run until Saturday. —VNS