New opportunities for OCOP products

BAC GIANG - Faced with the reality that a series of agricultural products, food, and consumer products have been exposed as counterfeit and poor quality goods, consumers in Bac Giang province have turned to buying and consuming agricultural products and processed agricultural products with clear origins, especially OCOP products.

Recently, the authorities have discovered many cases of counterfeit, fake and poor quality goods. Among them are many cases of trading and producing food and processed agricultural products in large quantities.

Customers choose to buy OCOP products at GO! Bac Giang Supermarket.

For example, on May 19, the Investigation Police Agency of Bac Giang Province Police issued a decision to prosecute the criminal case, prosecuting the defendant Nguyen Van T, residing on Tran Khat Chan 1 Street, Tho Xuong Ward (Bac Giang City) for the crime of "Violating food safety regulations". The investigation results showed that from January 2025 to the time of his arrest, T used the growth stimulant 6-Benzylaminopurine to produce about 60 tons of bean sprouts for sale on the market. This is a substance that is not on the list of substances permitted for use in food production.

Also in May, the Manh Nhan clean food processing facility specializing in producing horse sausage (with the product name "Manh Nhan Mai Suu Horse Sauce" in Mai Suu Street, Truong Son Commune, Luc Nam District) had to close because it produced and sold horse sausage products to the market without testing and announcing the product quality, and without printing the production date on the product. On May 20, 2025, the owner of this facility was invited by the People's Committee of Truong Son Commune to work on ensuring food safety and hygiene.

The above incidents have caused public confusion and loss of consumer confidence. Ms. Duong Thi Oanh, Ho Cat Street, Voi Town (Lang Giang) shared that, with many types of fake or poor quality food circulating on the market, her family has to choose to buy products with clear origins. Ms. Oanh prioritizes buying OCOP products of the province, because these goods clearly state the time, place of production and expiration date.

By the end of May 2025, Bac Giang province has 444 OCOP products with 3 stars or more; including 1 5-star product, 21 4-star products, 422 3-star products; total output reaches tens of thousands of tons/year.

Not only Ms. Oanh, it is known that many consumers in the province have the mentality of using products with clear origin. Therefore, recently, many stores, supermarkets, establishments, and cooperatives producing OCOP products in Bac Giang province have been in high demand. A representative of the Lien Chung Nem Nuong Cooperative, Lien Chung Commune (Tan Yen) said that the Cooperative currently consumes more than 700 Nem Nuong every day, an increase of about 200 products compared to the beginning of this year.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc My, Director of the Hiep Hoa District Agricultural Service and Technical Center, informed that the point of introducing and promoting typical agricultural products (on Nguyen Van Cu Street, Thang Town, Hiep Hoa District) managed by the unit is currently selling more than 20 OCOP products of the district and the province. The types of food sold here such as An Binh pork roll, Thai Son yellow sticky rice, various types of honey, etc. have sales increased by about 10% compared to the time of the recent Lunar New Year.

To meet consumer demand, many convenience stores and supermarkets in the province such as: The City Luc Nam Supermarket, GO! Bac Giang Supermarket, Nga Vuot convenience store, Van Coc 4 residential group, Van Trung ward (Viet Yen town) ... have created more OCOP booths of the province and localities nationwide to serve the people.

Ms. Duong Thi Van Nga, Executive Director of GO! Bac Giang Supermarket, said that the Supermarket is selling 100 OCOP product codes. These include products such as: Bac Giang lychee, Chu rice noodles (Luc Ngan), vegetables and fruits of Yen Dung Clean Vegetable Cooperative, Thanh Ha lychee, Hoang Gia green bean cake, Hai Binh cashew nuts, Cat Hai fish sauce... Revenue from selling OCOP products in the first 5 months of this year increased by 12% compared to the same period last year.

“We are currently working with the purchasing department of the GO! supermarket system (under the Central Retail Group) to propose adding some OCOP product codes, key agricultural products of Bac Giang, including Danh mountain ginseng products. In addition, the GO! supermarket system also has a program to accompany farmers to consume clean agricultural products for them,” said Ms. Nga.

According to the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development, Department of Agriculture and Environment, by the end of May 2025, the whole province had 444 OCOP products with 3 stars or more; including 1 5-star product, 21 4-star products, 422 3-star products; total output reached tens of thousands of tons/year.

Producing moon cakes (3-star OCOP product) at Tien Loi cake production facility, Thanh Thien street (Bac Giang city).

Mr. Nguyen Van Xuat, Chairman of the Provincial Consumer Protection Association, acknowledged that the authorities are currently focusing on cleaning up and handling cases of counterfeit, fake, and poor quality goods, especially food, agricultural products, and processed agricultural products that are unsafe for food hygiene and safety. This cleaning up will create opportunities for OCOP products to develop and be consumed.

According to Mr. Xuat, in addition to increasing the number of OCOP products, product owners must maintain and continuously improve the quality of their products. At the same time, improve product designs and packaging to attract consumers.

Consumers also need to improve their skills and awareness to choose products with clear origin and source, ensuring food hygiene and safety, and avoiding being taken advantage of by fraudulent traders.

 

Article and photos: Bao Lam

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/co-hoi-moi-cho-san-pham-ocop-postid419229.bbg