Opening supermarket doors for OCOP products

Opening supermarket doors for OCOP products

There were 18,243 OCOP products rated three stars or higher nationwide. Despite thousands of products meeting OCOP standards, getting them into retail systems is not easy.

A store selling OCOP products. — VNAVNS Photo

One Commune One Product (OCOP) items are currently facing intense competition if they want to appear on supermarket shelves. To address this issue, stronger connections between producers and supermarkets are needed, thereby opening the door for OCOP products to expand their reach.

Bùi Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, deputy director of the Agency for Domestic Market Surveillance and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that nationwide there were 18,243 OCOP products rated three stars or higher.

Despite thousands of products meeting OCOP standards, getting them into retail systems was not easy, he said.

The Hà Nội Mới (New Hà Nội) newspaper quoted Nguyễn Thanh Vân, director of Ba Vì Fresh Food Joint Stock Company, as saying that the company operated two farms, raising thousands of pigs and chickens that meet OCOP standards.

However, their products are currently supplied only to canteen kitchens and small retail shops and have not yet entered supermarket systems.

Similarly, Phan Uyên, Head of Business at Golden Cows Milk Joint Stock Company, noted that although the company had more than 10 OCOP four-star products, they were only sold through small retail channels and had not reached supermarkets.

The reason was that entering supermarkets required consignment and staged payments, which was difficult for small businesses with limited capital, Uyên noted.

Explaining why consumers were not familiar with OCOP products, Vũ Anh Khoa, chairman of the board of Saigon Co.op, pointed out that OCOP products were often produced on a small, seasonal scale and could not meet the large volumes required by supermarkets. In addition, many producers lacked complete traceability documentation, making it difficult to meet the requirements of large retail orders.

“To get OCOP products into supermarkets, producers must meet requirements related to entry procedures, quality, and payment processes, which are weaknesses for many OCOP entities. This leads consumers to equate OCOP products with similar goods that have not been certified,” Khoa said.

Building bridges to the market

Retail experts said that to increase consumer awareness of OCOP products, the industry and trade sector must act as an effective bridge between producers and retailers.

Nguyễn Thị Bích Vân, Communications Director of Central Retail Vietnam, the company that manages and operates the Go! supermarket chain, said that to help OCOP producers overcame barriers, the company had sent staff to localities to identify distinctive products, guide safe production processes, and assist with documentation to bring goods into supermarkets. 

Go! was running programmes to purchase goods directly from farmers and cooperatives with 0 per-cent commission, enabling quality OCOP products to reach consumers at reasonable prices, she added.

Nguyễn Thị Thùy Hương, Northern Operation Director of WinCommerce, operator of WinMart/WinMart+/WiN stores, emphasised that as a major distributor, WinMart supported OCOP producers by placing their products in prominent locations in supermarkets. 

This helped attract customer attention, especially during major promotional campaigns, she said.

Regarding future support, Trần Thị Phương Lan, chairwoman of the Association of Vietnam Retailers, said that supermarket systems would introduce support mechanisms such as reducing commissions to 0 per cent, organising themed product weeks and fairs, and holding direct working sessions with OCOP producers. 

These efforts would help producers better understand the requirements and standards needed to enter supermarkets, said Lan.

Nguyễn Thế Hiệp, deputy director of the Hà Nội Department of Industry and Trade, noted that the department had been reviewing OCOP product lists to connect them with retail channels in Hà Nội. 

In the long term, the sector would continue promoting trade activities, business matching events and fairs to help producers introduce products to consumers and access distribution systems, he said.

At the same time, the capital city would continue investing in commercial infrastructure such as supermarkets and convenience store chains to create stable outlets for OCOP products, he added. 

Retailers were also encouraged to sign long-term purchasing contracts so producers could confidently maintain stable production in both quantity and quality, said Hiệp.

Additionally, authorities would guide suppliers to develop products with designs and packaging suited to consumer preferences, prioritising eco-friendly packaging, he said. 

To achieve the goal of bringing OCOP products into supermarket systems, the provincial industry and trade sector would implement three key solution groups, namely diversifying products, strengthening trade connections and market expansion and tightening quality management while continuously improving product standards, Hiệp stressed. 

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