Co.op Organic products meeting USDA and EU organic standards are the pride of Vietnamese agriculture. — VNS Photo
To be able to carry the logo and label that it meets the organic standards of USDA (the US Department of Agriculture), a government agency that strictly enforces standards, a product must contain over 95 per cent organic ingredients and can not use preservatives and most chemical components during its production and processing.
EU organic standards are equally strict and have been recognised in 47 countries.
Thus, the fact that Saigon Co.op, Viet Nam’s leading retailer, has started selling organic products under the Co.op Organic brand meeting both USDA and EU standards can be considered both a matter of pride for Vietnamese agriculture and good news for consumers.
Co.op Organic-branded basa fish and shrimp from Saigon Co.op meet US and EU standards for organic produce. — VNS Photo
According to Pham Trung Kien, deputy general director of Saigon Co.op, to produce the first Co.op Organic product meeting international standards, Saigon Co.op invested heavily in all stages from input to output.
Just preparing the land took nearly three years since the soil had to be got into organic condition before growing the first crop of organic vegetables.
When analysing the soil, if there were no heavy metals and harmful microorganisms in it, the company started cultivation, he said.
Four groups of organic products under Saigon Co.op’s Co.op Organic brand name include two kinds of rice – Jasmine and Japonica -- cucumber, squash, tomato; choy sum, mustard green, water spinach; basa fish, black tiger shrimp and ecological shrimp.
The average price of the vegetables is VND60,000 a kilogramme, while a kilogramme of basa fish and ecological shrimp are respectively priced at VND144,000 and VND352,000.
All the products meet USDA and EU standards.
Customers can buy Co.op Organic labelled products at six Co.opmart outlets in HCM City – on Ly Thuong Kiet, Cong Quynh, Dinh Tien Hoang, Nguyen Kiem, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Phu My Hung -- and the Co.opXtra hypermarket inside SC VivoCity in District 7. — VNS