Bình Phước Cashew Association asks for help in the face of counterfeit nuts

A booth introducing Bình Phước’s processed cashew products at a fruit and agricultural products fair. — Photo dantocmiennui.vn

BÌNH PHƯỚC — The Bình Phước Cashew Association has sent an official dispatch to the provincial People’s Committee and related units to take measures to stop sales of poor quality cashew products, especially those which are falsely claiming to be from the area.

There are many domain names, accounts and small establishments posting products under the brand name ‘Bình Phước Specialties’ for sale on a number of websites and social networks, said Vũ Thái Sơn, Chairman of Bình Phước Cashew Association.

However, after checks, businesses that are members of the association found that the products are not cashew nuts originating from Bình Phước, but rather imported nuts from old crops or poor quality nuts.

These products have no label, no expiration date and there is no basis to trace the origin of processing, so consumers can’t know who is responsible for quality and food hygiene and safety.

The act of counterfeiting cashew products originating from Bình Phước Province has seriously violated the geographical ruling on the origin of the area’s nuts, which has been approved by the Intellectual Property Office of Việt Nam intellectual property protection in Decision No 673/QĐ-SHTT dated March 13, 2018, said Sơn.

This had adversely affected the brand and the interests of cashew businesses, as well as causing confusion for consumers when they get poor quality products, he added.

The association said on Tuesday that it had requested the provincial Department of Science and Technology check for acts of falsifying this geographical indication.

In addition, the association also requested that the provincial Department of Science and Technology organise inspections of websites advertising poor quality cashew products and fake origin products from Bình Phước, using domain names that violate the geographical indication ‘Bình Phước Cashews’.

Protecting the Bình Phước Cashew brand does not just help farmers’ in terms of their livelihoods, it also contributes to the sustainable development of the cashew processing industry in the province. — VNS