Regulations NewsVIETNAMFOOD BEVERAGEVietnamese food brands ‘stolen’ inoverseas marketUnlike its Thai counterparts, Vietnam lackstrademark registration and protection with aslew of its products ended up being ‘stolen’by other manufacturers or distributors in othercountries.One example is Meet More Coffee productsfrom Vietnam. According to its CEO NguyenNgoc Luan, in 2018 the company wanted toexport its products to Korea but ended upsurprised when faced with difficulty in registeringthe brand as the same name seemed to havebeen registered by another company. Luanlater found that it was the distributor of MeetMe products in South Korea which registeredthe brand. At that time, Luan had to submitdocuments to prove that Meet Me was aVietnamese brand with the registrant being thedistributor and buyer of its products in SouthKorea. It was only when the distributor agreedto withdraw its intellectual property registrationwhich paved the way for the registrationapproval by the relevant Korean agency.Many Vietnamese companies are stillreluctant to register their brands as they have nointention to compete in the international market,in addition to the hassle of engaging advisersor lawyers to go through the registrationprocedures.Luan did a mini supermarket survey inAustralia in 2020, and he found that a lot ofVietnamese food brands had been stolen. Hesaid, “Vietnamese pho has been stolen by theChinese, while fish sauce by Thai businesses.Losing brands to foreign hands is no longera surprise. The inappropriate attention tobranding puts Vietnamese businesses at adisadvantage in international trade channels.”A lawyer from HCMC Bar Association said theapplication for IP registration is implemented inaccordance with the principle of ‘first come, firstserved’ basis with latecomers having to submitdocuments to prove that the products belong tothem. Indeed, losing brands is the heavy pricethat Vietnamese enterprises will pay for theirinappropriate attention to trademark register.Brand registration is a hassle as the lawstipulates that a particular brand is onlyprotected in the territories where the ownerregisters. As such, when these brands gooverseas, they also need to be registeredagain for international protection. It cost a fewthousand dollars to get the brand registered inany market, still much cheaper than going intopossible dispute settlement.Another of Vietnam’s product, ST25 Riceis also at risk of falling into the hands ofUS companies which have filed for brandregistration.Tran Le Hong, Deputy Head of the NationalOffice of Intellectual Property (NOIP), saidthat national brands need to be protected.However, Vietnam is lacking agencies in theinternational market that can help Vietnambusinesses register their trademarks. There isa significant red-tape in brand registration forVietnamese products. In most of the developedcountries, brand protection certificates willusually be issued within 6 months from the dateof application, whereas in Vietnam, it might take2 years or more to obtain the certificates.Packaging & Technology NewsGLOBALNew cutting, dicing solutions from UrschelCUTTING EQUIPMENTUrschel, the global leader in industrial food cutting technology, has recently launched 2 newequipments particularly for the cheese (dairy) and fruits/vegetables segments.Affinity® Integra-D Cheese DicerIntegra-D is Urschel’s latest addition to the AffinityUrschel Affinity@ Integra-D Cheese Dicerline. The high-performance dicer features operationat the push of a button. The machine is designedwith the cutting zone completely separate fromthe mechanical zone. Hinged access panels easemaintenance and part changeovers. The dicer ispowered by a 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) motor.According to Scott Klockow, MechanicalDesign Manager, “Superior sanitation, quick partchangeovers, and heavy duty are terms customersuse to describe the new Integra-D cheese dicer.Customers replacing an RA machine with the Integra-D have experienced 20 to even 50% highercapacities due to the larger infeed and increased horsepower.”The new 3-dimensional dicer accepts products up to 4.5 inches (114 mm). Product is delivered toa feed hopper and enters a rotating impeller. Centrifugal force holds the product against the insideof the case. Impeller paddles carry the product past the slicing knife. An adjustable slice gate at thetop of the case determines the slice thickness.Slices pass between the rotating feed drum and feed spindle and then enter the circular kniveswhere they are cut into strips. The strips pass directly into the crosscut knives where the final cutis made to create a precision dice. The stripper plate removes product from the spaces betweenthe circular knives and acts as a shear edge for the crosscut knives. Strip cuts can be produced byremoving the crosscut knife spindle.Tim O’Brien, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing concluded, “Following the successof our large Affinity® cheese dicer, the new Integra-D offers processors all of the advantagesin a scaled-down footprint. The Integra-D provides the latest in precision cutting, and a turn-keyupgrade for processors with Urschel RA series machines. Updating a line could not be simpler, andthe benefits derived from higher yields is a bonus.”TranSlicer® 2520 CutterBuilding on the original TranSlicer that revolutionised the commercial, fresh-cut salad industry,Urschel introduces the new TranSlicer 2520 Cutter. The TranSlicer 2520 processes a variety ofproducts for the food processing industry such as leafy vegetables, celery, leek, carrots, cucumbers,and fruits.Anthony (Tony) McCracken, Urschelengineer behind the machine designsaid, “Customers really appreciate thesavings. On average, TranSlicer 2520customers report saving 25 minutesper washdown/cleaning procedurecompared to the machine that theyreplaced.”Tony added that the overall design ofthe 2520 sets itself apart. McCrackenexplained, “The concept encompassesthe next generation of sanitation to greatlyreduce cleaning times. Accessibility toevery area of the machine expediteswashdowns. All surfaces are engineeredto promote water drainage. Stand-offslocated throughout minimise overlappingUrschel TranSlicer® 2520 Cutterjoints and improve inspection anddecrease cleaning times. IP69K rated IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) electricalcomponents incorporated throughout machine withstand high pressure, high temperaturewashdowns.”Urschel designs, manufactures and markets precision, high capacity cutting equipment for thefood processing industries since 1910. Urschel delivers a complete network of sales and servicearound the globe wherever food is commercially processed. Urschel machinery and the bulk of allcritical parts are manufactured on-site, under one roof to maintain optimal quality.Urschel remains dedicated to providing the latest in food cutting technology to benefit regional andglobal scale customers. Urschel also offers free test cutting. Customers may witness test cutting oftheir product in-person, via video, or live remotely. A comprehensive report is generated for eachtest cut for customer consideration.Contact Urschel at info@urschel.com to learn more.Asia Food & Beverages 38
39 Asia Food & Beverages