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VN label lassitude is bad for business
Inaccurate and sloppy labelling are common mistakes Vietnamese firms make when exporting food to the US, and they end up paying a price for them, a conference on exporting food and drugs to the US held in HCM City yesterday heard.
Chitra Ananda of Registrar Corp, a US-based consultancy on compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, said Vietnamese companies often copy their labels from others and do not always fully comply with FDA regulations.
This is a major problem because when they did not comply or have inaccurate information on labels, the shipment would immediately be stopped for investigation.
"Get it right the first time and not copy labels.
"Do not have general things, only specific things on labels."
Speaking to Viet Nam News, Ananda said: "Vietnamese cuisine has become popular in the US. When consumers care, they would read the label more to check the ingredients before trying further."
At the conference, she also suggested that in addition to information on labels, companies should also pay attention to information in their websites because the FDA reads them to verify consumers' complaints.
They should ideally have a representative in the US who understands FDA regulations and can answer questions if there is an investigation, she added.
Attendees agreed that is not too difficult to follow the FDA's regulations since they are spelled out on its websites.
The conference also discussed other regulations in the US and how to deal with things when being investigated or sued.
The US is one of Viet Nam's biggest importers.
Last year despite the recession, the US bought nearly US$20 billion worth goods from Viet Nam, a year-on-year increase of over 16 per cent.
Some 15-20 per cent of foods consumed in the US originate from other countries.
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