From traditional markets to school kitchens
Shopping for green vegetables at a Bach Hoa Xanh store in Vuon Lai ward, Ms. Dang Kieu Dung (a resident living in Vuon Lai ward) said that she always prioritizes choosing products with "Green stickers" because she is more assured about the origin, origin and quality control process.
“The fact that products are labeled with traceability QR codes helps consumers easily check information about the place of manufacture, supplier and circulation process. When going to the market or buying at supermarkets, I often choose products that can be clearly traced. The price may be a little higher, but in return I feel more secure when using them for my family” - Ms. Dung shared.
Not only at supermarkets, people can now also easily access food that meets the "Responsible Green Label" criteria right at traditional markets. At Tan My market (Tan My ward), pork stalls participating in the program have displayed products that can trace information about farms, slaughterhouses, and distribution units through QR codes.
The program is also put into school kitchens. In Binh Dong and Tan My wards - two localities pioneering pilot implementation - the model has been applied in public kindergartens to ensure that each meal of children meets criteria on food safety and hygiene, nutrition and can trace the origin of ingredients.
At 19 Thang 5 Kindergarten (Binh Dong ward), one of the first units to implement the model, the entire food receiving process has been digitized. Before delivery, suppliers must fully update product information according to the registered menu. Food groups such as pork, poultry, eggs... all have QR codes and clear traceability records.
When food is delivered to the school, the responsible department will check the quantity, quality and compare with the data on the system before entering the warehouse and putting it into processing. After that, information about storing food samples, finished dishes and daily meal images will continue to be updated to serve monitoring and traceability when necessary.
Expanding the supply chain by digital transformation
According to Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, after more than 2 years of implementation, the "Responsibility Green Stick" program has achieved many positive results, especially changing the awareness of production and business establishments about transparency of production processes and enhancing responsibility to consumers.
To date, the number of businesses participating in the program has increased by more than 100%, with more than 5,000 products certified, capable of meeting the needs of collective kitchens and distribution systems. According to Mr. Phuong, the certification of products meeting quality criteria is still being carried out regularly, while the new set of criteria is continuing to be completed to ensure transparency and higher monitoring capacity.
At the same time, the Department of Industry and Trade is building an exchange for products participating in the program. The process of bringing goods to the exchange supports businesses to expand consumption channels, trading faster and more conveniently.
According to Mr. Phuong, in addition to the traditional distribution system, many units have started bringing products to e-commerce platforms. The city is also studying to integrate more utilities such as payment, transportation service connection, tourism, hotels... to increase value for businesses and consumers.
