Effective traceability: Building the trust for Vietnamese goods

The trace of origin must be managed from the stage of production to supply. Photo: Nguyen Thanh.

Create trust for importers

Talking about the story of harsh and strict traceability for the origin of goods recently, it is easy to “roll call” the familiar export markets of Vietnam such as the EU, Australia, New Zealand, China...

According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An, the requirements set out by the market push the demand on tracing origin for goods to a new height. Meeting the strict requirements of trace of origin, Vietnam not only promotes the value of export commodities, but also serves the management of ministries and industries in the country. “When the problem of trace of origin is built into good management manner, the problem of counterfeit and pirated goods will be solved. This also creates a great opportunity for the application of digital technologies, Blockchain technology, forming a series of other application technologies,” said Deputy Minister Dang Hoang An.

Talking about the importance of trace of origin, Ms. Amy Guihot, Counselor for Agriculture, Australian Embassy, said: Trace of origin is an important part of the food management system in Australia. For food processing companies, the trace must identify the origin of all inputs such as raw materials, additives, other ingredients, packaging... In addition, trace of origin must also specify the name and address of the supplier, the name and address of the customer, the date of transaction and delivery, shipment details, volume and quantity of the product when delivering and any other relevant production records.

Strengthen 4.0 technology application

It can be seen that the important role of tracing the origin in business production, export and import activities of enterprises in particular and social life of the people in general is undeniable. However, according to some experts, it is worth noting that in Vietnam, tracing origin is a relatively new activity. Enterprises as well as consumers do not fully understand the meaning as well as the nature of that. In addition, Vietnamese enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises, have difficulty in researching, developing and deploying traceability systems for each product, group of products and industries.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Le Dai Duong, Director of ISHOPGO Technology Co., Ltd., stated: At present, some enterprises have implemented the trace of origin, but not enough. The traceability only provides some simple information. For example, traceability of pork sold at supermarkets, trace information just stops at pointing out where pigs are raised, when pigs are slaughtered without the information such as breeding animals, breeding facilities, slaughtering procedures, transportation... “Traceability is not just a matter of sticking stamps but managing everything from production to supply; it supports the production, trading and trade information exchange,” Mr. Duong said.

Ms. Ninh gives further information: Currently, the integrity of the data in the operation of traceability has not been fully assured in the operation of the system. The cause is that the time of data generation and recording takes place at the same time. In addition, the traditional way of archiving with records is easy to generate confusion, change information. This leads to the consequence that both import and domestic customers have to spend a lot of effort and money to control the traditional tracing system.

According to Ms. Ninh, the 4.0 revolutionary industrial boom has many advanced technologies and practical applications such as cloud technology, Blockchain combined with hardware devices and control chips that are becoming smaller but many times stronger. With that advantage, the application of the 4th industrial revolution achievements in the issue of traceability in particular and all aspects of life in general will become the trend of the times. “In this regard, the COFIDEC has cooperated with TE High Technology and Machine Services Co. Ltd., to set up and put into operation an electronic traceability system with processed eggplant for export. In the near future, the COFIDEC will implement electronic traceability system for the whole supply chain towards sustainable development,” Ms. Ninh said.

Agreeing that there is the need to promote the application of 4.0 technology in traceability, Mr. Dao Ha Trung, President of Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Association, said that there should be a mechanism to encourage technology companies to apply the criteria of the import countries such as the application of Blockchain, IoT, GS1-EPCIS... for export goods to create advantages for Vietnamese goods.

In addition, according to Mr. Trung, it is necessary to focus on the establishment of an information and database system applying the 4.0 technology to share data among state management agencies and provide information to enterprises and manufacturers about origin, product quality...