Ebbing consumer confidence in China-sourced foods has forced Thai manufacturers and retailers to reconsider business strategies, shifting to new product sourcing or moving toward more organic foods, reports The Bangkok Post.

According to a Bangkok Post survey, major retailers in Thailand have adopted various strategies to restore consumer confidence by increasing alternative choices such as organic foods to consumers, and stepping up controls on production processes before allowing products into their stores.

Some are considering stopping sales of some food brands from China.

Pira Asavarpirom, senior chief merchandising officer at The Mall Group, Thailand's second largest retail chain, said the proportion of food brands imported from China at Home Fresh Mart is less than 5 per cent.

But with growing concern about food safety, the group will consider whether to stop distributing some Chinese products.

'We will seriously monitor consumer response and follow their lead,' Mr Pira said.

For both local and imported vegetables, the group will check thoroughly for toxic-chemical contamination. Carrefour and Tops have the same measures in place at their distribution centres.

Segsarn Tri-Ukos, corporate affairs and business development manager of CenCar Co, the operator of Carrefour, said Chinese-made foods accounted for 2-4 per cent of all food products at Carrefour.

'With the concern about food quality, we will extend the number of Carrefour quality lines because we can completely control the production chain,' Mr Segsarn said.

There are about 10 items in the Carrefour Quality Line and that number should double by the end of next year.

Phattaraporn Phenpraphat, vice-president for marketing and public relations at Central Food Retail Co, the operator of Tops Supermarket, said food safety was a priority of Tops. Apart from having international inspection standards, the company will go a step further by extending organic food lines that are 100 per cent chemical-free, but the price will be 10-15 per cent higher than for normal foods.

Organic foods sold at Tops totals 3 per cent of sales but it expects the figure to rise to 15-20 per cent in the future, The Bangkok Post said.

Topics