The European Union (EU) will participate for the first time in Food&Hotel Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City on April 24-26, with an exhibition stand that will host 20 EU producers and producers' associations from all over the continent.

A vast variety of European food and beverage products will be displayed, including ham, feta cheese, top-quality olive oil and wine from Spain, Portugal and Austria.

Visitors can attend a series of workshops, food tastings, presentations, cooking demonstrations and meetings with producers.

As negotiations for an EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA) continue, the programme demonstrates to Vietnamese producers and food professionals various EU quality schemes already in place that they can benefit from.

These schemes guarantee the quality and authenticity of food and beverage products and help consumers identify products of genuine quality.

Vietnamese producers can register their typical products in the EU and receive protection offered by these schemes, which could in turn facilitate the marketing of their products in international markets.-VNA