Bring Vietnamese Pangasius Into Sushi, Hamburgers, etc.

Prospects of pangasius sushi

Opening the phone and showing everyone the image clearly, Mr. Nobuyoshi Kan, consultant of Hot One Company, Ocean trading Company (Japan), said: This is a hamburger with a filling made of Vietnamese pangasius, very delicious. Japanese people are becoming more and more familiar with processed products from Vietnamese pangasius fish.

In the past, Japanese people rarely ate freshwater fish but preferred to eat seafood. Mr. Nobuyoshi Kan said that he has worked with suppliers to create pangasius products that are not only processed into instant dishes, but fresh Vietnamese pangasius can also be used in Japanese sushi. with appropriate seasoning. 

"That's how we bring Vietnamese basa fish into the Japanese market. You can also use this method to reach the domestic market" - Mr. Nobuyoshi Kan suggested.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dao, general director of Go Dang Joint Stock Company (GODACO), said he also witnessed chefs in Japan processing Vietnamese basa fish into sushi. 

"I was also surprised that the outer color of Vietnamese basa sushi is not inferior to other famous fish such as tuna and salmon" - Mr. Dao said, saying that the taste of pangasius when eaten is also outstanding.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dao admitted that Vietnamese pangasius has occupied more than 50% of the world market share, but after more than 20 years, exports still mainly stop at raw products, fillets and frozen products, 95% are exports. for countries to process and repackage. 

Informing that he has learned from other countries how to process pangasius and has researched over 50 recipes of prepared dishes from pangasius and basa fish, Mr. Dao shared: "Although the main export is, we I still hope to bring pangasius closer to domestic consumers."

Strengthen your efforts to bring pangasius to the mainland

Exporting pangasius around the world, meeting the standards in the most stringent markets, but when returning to the domestic market, pangasius faces many difficulties. According to Ms. Ngo Thi Thuc - deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), it is real that businesses have difficulties with licenses when returning to the domestic market. Export is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, but domestic management is managed by the health sector. 

"Therefore, we do not coordinate with each other, creating overlap and difficulties for businesses. We currently have proposals for higher levels to resolve" - Ms. Thuc shared.

"To be able to bring goods into Vietnam's large supermarket chains, it took us 2 years to sign a contract. Not to mention distribution and promotion costs are also very expensive" - Mr. Nguyen Van Dao said.

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Dien - senior manager of Co.op Mart supermarket food industry - said that pangasius is very familiar to Southerners but consumed in the system is only about 200 tons/month. 

"The majority of products are raw products such as pangasius fillets, cuts, and processed products that do not have outstanding characteristics. Having high-quality processed products that have been accepted by the world will be a new point. that we care about" - Ms. Dien said.

Ms. Bui Thi Phuong Dung (Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry):

There's still a lot of work to do

Delicious food will affect the five senses: eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hands. Pangasius products in supermarkets today are not many and not attractive enough.

The supplier of products in the freezer has no instructions on what dishes this fish can be made for consumers to use.

Information about origin is almost non-existent. Hopefully there will be more products made from pangasius in supermarkets for consumers. more opportunities to choose.