Consumers turn their backs on Chinese produce

Consumers turn their backs on Chinese produce

Local traders have been mislabeling Chinese fruits and vegetables as consumers turn away from cheap, low-quality goods from China.

Along Hanoi Highway, which connects HCMC with Bien Hoa City, street vendors gather offering all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Grapes said to be from America are sold for only VND20,000 (USD0.96) per 500 gr. One of the sellers claimed that the price had dropped because of the bounteous harvest in the U.S.

In reality, however, this type of grape is imported en mass from China to wholesalers in HCM City, such as Tam Binh, Thu Duc at VND25-30,000 per kilo. The traders at Tam Binh said that grapes from America are actually thinner and cost VND150-180,000 per kilo.

Other fruits, such as apples and pears from China are also sold under false labels, declaring that they were grown in New Zealand or Europe.

Some Chinese produce has been changed to make consumers believe that they are of domestic origin. Carrots, for example, were labeled as having come from the north, despite the fact that they can only be harvested around Tet in this area.

Tien, a consumer from Tan Binh District said, "I told the sellers that it wasn't necessary to try to fool people about where produce comes from. Everybody knows this stuff is coming from China. Their reply was that lying will make business run smoother."

Consumers have turned away from Chinese produce because of rumours about the unsafe use of chemical substances. Some experienced consumers refuse to buy food from China despite lower prices.

Even though Chinese produce makes up about 50% of all imported fruits and vegetables at wholesale markets, they have lost favour among consumers, at the retail level. Even large supermarkets, such as Co.op Mart or Vinatexmart, have given priority to domestically produced goods.

Nguyen Thanh Ha, a trader from Tam Binh said, "Recently the value of fruits imported from China has dropped 30-50%." Ha added that informed consumers have been more thoughtful about the food that they buy. She said that people used to prefer Chinese produce because it looked nicer on the shelves and was cheap. Now, she said, there is much more suspicion about growing practices.

Many traders are actually happier because the fruits from Da Lat have higher prices and better sales than from China.

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