CP products: Consumers turn their backs, supermarkets recall goods

After images and information alleging the quality of CP pork in Soc Trang and Hau Giang provinces, consumers across the country have turned their backs on this brand. Up to now, the authorities are still in the process of verifying and investigating and have not yet reached a conclusion. CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company has continuously denied the rumors, but the purchasing power of pork and sausages of this brand has continuously decreased, and recently, Go! Vinh Phuc supermarket has even taken action to recall all CP sausage products.

CP Fresh Shop Vinh Yen - business "paralyzed"

The images and information that the account owner "Jonny Lieu" posted on social media about pigs showing signs of illness in Soc Trang and Hau Giang were like a "bucket of cold water" thrown on consumers.

Everyone was shocked to see pigs covered with red spots on their skin in the processing area believed to be in the CP chain of stores - a major domestic brand chosen and trusted by millions of Vietnamese families every day.

In recent years, as living standards have improved, people have paid more attention to the origin of products, moving towards safe foods. Instead of going to the market to buy food of unknown origin, many people choose to go to supermarkets and retail chains to buy branded goods from large businesses and corporations and accept higher costs.

Business activities at CP Fresh Shop Vinh Yen are "paralyzed".

CP products have always been prioritized by consumers due to the company's development scale and closed production process, which are regularly communicated and introduced in the mass media.

Therefore, when the images and information of the account owner “Jonny Lieu” were published on social networks, many people were shocked. From skepticism, indignation to anger are the feelings of consumers when mentioning CP at this time, although the authorities are still in the process of investigating.

There was only a little pork in the store for sale, the refrigerator next to it was empty.

When trust was misplaced, consumers reacted by turning their backs on CP's product lines, causing a significant decrease in purchasing power for this brand of food.

Records at CP Fresh Shop Vinh Yen located on Tran Quoc Tuan Street, Ngo Quyen Ward show that the number of customers coming to buy food has decreased sharply. It can be said that the business activities of CP Fresh Shop Vinh Yen are almost "paralyzed". Due to the lack of customers, the food in the store is displayed sparingly, with only a few kilos of fresh CP pork and chicken. In the storage cabinets, there are only a few packages of CP sausages, some cabinets are empty, with no goods.

The CP sausage storage cabinet was almost empty.

According to the staff of CP Fresh Shop Vinh Yen, during this time, due to people's panic, food purchasing power has decreased sharply. In recent days, the store has not imported as many types of meat as before, only a little ground meat, pork belly and pig's feet. For CP pork and chicken, people still occasionally come to buy because the products can be observed and checked with the naked eye, but CP sausage is "frozen". Although purchasing power is slow and goods are consumed less, the cost of the products has not decreased. According to the explanation of the sales staff, if CP products are reduced at this time, consumers will probably be more panicked, suspecting that there is a problem with the quality of the food.

Go! Vinh Phuc recalls products

Go! Vinh Phuc Supermarket is also one of the places that consumes large amounts of CP pork, chicken, and sausages for local people. In the past week (from June 2 to 8), the supermarket has made some changes related to business activities for CP products.

Specifically, on normal days (from June 2 to 6), we recorded that many types of pork and CP sausages were sold on shelves and refrigerators. Products with a variety of types such as ham, pork belly, pig ears, roasted ham, ground shoulder meat, spare ribs, etc. have prices ranging from over 150,000 - 170,000 VND/kg. In general, the products are cleanly processed, fresh and stored in refrigerators. Many types of bones are chopped into small pieces, sold with tubers and fruits such as green squash, pumpkin, etc., convenient for customers to buy for meals, both economical and reducing preparation time.

On June 4, CP pork was still sold on shelves at Go! Vinh Phuc.

These days, at Go! Vinh Phuc, there are a few customers coming in to buy CP meat. When asked, these consumers said that pork is easier to distinguish than sausage, so they can buy it when the product is fresh and delicious. However, there are also people who say no to CP pork and switch to the Meat deli brand and accept the higher price. As for the CP sausage stall, there are absolutely no customers coming by.

To reassure consumers, the company has hung a sign "Commitment from CP brand" at the CP sausage counter with the following content: "In the face of false information, we would like to confirm that our products meet ISO 22000 and ISO 9001 quality standards; our products are strictly controlled and ensure food hygiene and safety and biosafety; and are trusted by millions of customers every day. We are committed to transparency, honesty and putting consumers' health first. Let real-life experiences replace rumors."

According to the leader of Go! Vinh Phuc Supermarket, currently, CP sausage products are being heavily affected by a sharp decrease in consumption, while pork has decreased but not significantly. During this time, CP recommends not organizing entertainment programs to promote products as before.

Currently, supermarkets are providing many brands of pork and sausages, of which CP and Meat deli are two major brands. If CP has the strength of being affordable for people and has high consumption, Meat deli belongs to the high-end customer segment, with a more limited supply.

CP sausage shelves had a sign that read “Brand Commitment” but this past weekend it was taken down and all products were recalled.

According to the leader of Go! Vinh Phuc Supermarket, CP's accusation of poor quality of input pork not only causes disadvantages and great losses to the business but also affects farmers.

On June 6, the account “Jonny Lieu” continued to share on his personal page a series of new photos of pigs considered abnormal, taken at a slaughterhouse in Chau Thanh (Hau Giang). On June 8, Go! Vinh Phuc Supermarket made a new move, recalling all CP sausage products on the shelves and temporarily stopping selling this item.

Article and photos: Ha Tran

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/129481/San-pham-CP-Nguoi-tieu-dung-quay-lung-sieu-thi-thu-hoi-hang-hoa