Traditional candied fruits lose out as health trumps tradition

A stall selling traditional candied fruits in HCM City’s Bình Tây Market. — Photo nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — Candied fruit, a popular confectionery item consumed during Lunar New Year holiday (Tết), is losing out to other snacks as people’s eating habits are becoming healthier.

More and more Vietnamese customers are preferring dried fruits or nuts to candied fruits.

Nguyễn Ngọc Quỳnh Như of HCM City’s Gò Vấp District, told Việt Nam News she used to enjoy traditional candied fruits during Tết but has changed to less sugary items in recent years on health grounds.

Ứng Thị Liên, head of the confectionary department at Bình Tây Market in District 6, was quoted by Người Lao Động (The Labourer) newspaper as saying shops in the market have been in touch with bulk buyers in HCM City and elsewhere but are not getting many orders. 

So the shops are only stocking like on normal days and keeping prices unchanged, she said.

She added that 80 per cent of the sweets are produced locally, and shops only sell products with clear origins and certification.

With many people cutting out sugary foods, candied fruit makers are reducing the use of sugar, but demand is still falling.

Many customers buy a mere 100 – 200g of candied squash, lotus seeds, ginger, and coconut as Tết offerings, and buy cashew nut, chestnut, soft-dried mixed fruits, raisins, and other similar items for guests, she said.

A seller of candied fruits at Bà Chiểu Market in Bình Thạnh District said while she normally stocks 100kg of traditional candied fruits, this year she has only 20kg and has found it difficult to sell even that.

She has decided not to buy more and to stop selling them after Tết.

A District 3 neighbourhood that used to have a number of establishments making candied fruits now has only a few left.

According to Đỗ Thị Ngọc Trinh who makes candied soursop, some households there have only made candied tamarind for only one month due to the lack of orders.

She told Người Lao Động that this year she only bough 500kg of soursop, half last year’s quantity, since orders are down by a half.

Hoàng Thị Tâm Ái, director of Trí Đức Manufacturing, Trading and Service Company, which makes candied fruits, said the less sugary candied fruits made to meet current preferences have a reduced shelf life.

Young customers nowadays prefer domestic and imported confectioneries, as well as dried vegetables and fruits.

Though traditional candied fruits have improved in terms of quality, demand for them is shrinking, she added.  VNS