Nestlé enters Vietnamese fish sauce market

Fish sauce is a traditional must-have item for Vietnamese family meals. It is found in 97% of urban households, with each household consuming an average of 11 liters annually, according to a representative of Nestle Vietnam, who quoted statistics from a market research report by Kantar World Panel 2018 to explain the launch of the product.

The representative also noted that the sizeable fish sauce market in Vietnam had great potential, with the domestic capacity of fish sauce being 500 million liters per year, exceeding VND8 trillion (US$347 million).

Based on years of operating experience in Vietnam, the Maggi brand has developed two fish sauce product lines to satisfy the distinctive tastes of the southern and northern people of the country.

Maggi fish sauce is made from completely natural materials. Phu Quoc black anchovy extract comprises 90% of the contents.

It also includes Ba Ria salt and has no preservatives, thus meeting food safety requirements, according to Nestlé Vietnam.

Notably, the firm uses traditional methods to ferment the anchovies for a year before producing the red-brown fish sauce, which has a strong smell and is rich in protein. The product is available in supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide.

Ganesan Ampalavanar, general director of Nestlé Vietnam, said the company would also explore shipping the fish sauce overseas. The fish sauce is packaged at a plant owned by Thanh Thuy Packaging and Food Processing JSC in Binh Duong Province.