Fish sauce industry plagued with imposters

Tuoi Tre quoted the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association as reporting that only 20 percent of total fish sauce output of the association’s members are bottled and sold under the ‘Phu Quoc Fish Sauce' geographical indication protected by law. 

The remaining 80 percent are sold to sauce companies which process their products and sell in the market.

Nguyen Thi Tinh, chair of the association, said the association had conducted a market survey and found that the majority of fish sauce products available at supermarkets and traditional markets should not be called ‘fish sauce’ because they do not meet the standards set for traditional fish sauce.

According to Tinh, traditional fish sauce is made of mostly anchovies and salt, and is fermented for at least 10 months. Since it takes a long time, real fish sauce is twice as expensive than fish sauce made with flavors. 

This is also the reason why truly Phu Quoc fish sauce cannot be easily found in the market. ‘Truly fish sauce’ is the phrase used to differentiate the ‘next-generation’ fish sauce made by consumer good manufacturers on an industrial scale.

According to Huynh Quang Hung, deputy chair of Phu Quoc district, the homeland of Phu Quoc fish sauce, there are about 80 big fish sauce makers, producing 30 million liters of products in 2016.

To date, the association has only issued Phu Quoc Fish Sauce quality control and food hygiene stamps to 12 fish sauce makers, including Thanh Thien Loc JSC, Thanh Quoc Private Enterprise, Kim Hoa Private Enterprise, Phuc Hung, Khai Hoan and Quoc Vi Companies.

However, this does not mean that all the products of the 12 enterprises are ‘truly Phu Quoc fish sauce’.

There are three three indications on the product label to ensure that it is ‘truly Phu Quoc fish sauce’ – a geographical indication stamp with codes to track down the producers; the logo of Phu Quoc fish sauce; and the European geographical indication logo.

“If just one of the three signs is omitted, the product does not meet Phu Quoc fish sauce standards,” Thinh said.

She went on to say that there are numerous products labeled as ‘Phu Quoc anchovy-made fish sauce’, including products made in Thailand. But they are not real Phu Quoc fish sauce. 

At a supermarket in Hoang Mai district in Hanoi, fish sauce products bearing 20 different brands were displayed on shelves. However, reporters only found one product, Ong Ky Fish Sauce made by Thanh Thien Loc JSC, with all three criteria on the label.