FOODEX Japan 2023 is considered the leading food and beverage (F&B) tradeshow in Japan and one of the top three in the world. The exhibition has been given particular interest to the F&B business community. It is considered a "gateway" to exploit exports to the Japanese market and Asian countries, with the participation of nearly 1,500 exhibitors from 44 countries and territories (77 percent of businesses come from countries outside of Japan).

The event will also attract nearly 33,800 visitors from 98 countries worldwide (including nearly 11,000 international visitors), of which almost are wholesalers, retailers, food service, and F&B manufacturers.

Vietnam is expected to participate in 39 businesses at FOODEX Japan this year with many big names in the food and agriculture sector. Vietnamese firms will bring agricultural products; vegetables; fresh, processed, and canned fruits; processed seafood; nutritional food from cereals; alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; confectionery.

As one of the representatives for Vietnam's agriculture and food sector, The PAN Group will attend the exhibition with its member companies, including Khang An Foods, Aquatex Bentre, Bibica, and Lafooco PAN's booth will continue to recreate the sustainable value chain and introduce the most typical products, which are the pride of Vietnam, such as shrimp, pangasius, vegetables, confectionery, cashew nuts, fresh flowers, dried fruits, coffee, rice, and traditional fish sauce.

This activity is also expected to create a favorable environment to promote trading opportunities for the group's member units in expanding domestic and international markets. PAN said this is the first time they have participated in FOODEX Japan 2023 with the group's scale though their member companies have been familiar with the event for years.

This would be an opportunity for the group to introduce agricultural and food products with high added value from Vietnam thanks to deep processing according to high standards with their own brands to the international community.

Nguyen Thi Tra My, The PAN Group's CEO, shared: "High-end markets such as Japan, the US, and the EU have long been PAN's traditional markets. However, we consider participating in big fairs like FOODEX Japan as an opportunity to expand the market and promote products and a good opportunity to reposition Vietnamese agricultural products and food internationally.

"Previously, the world knew us as a country with large agricultural output but not appreciated for its quality. We want to prove that currently, agricultural products and foods that are deeply processed and branded in Vietnam can be confident in quality comparable to products of any country in the world market."

A PAN representative in the confectionery sector added: "Japan has been Bibica's traditional market for more than ten years. We entered the market from the position of processing goods. There are very popular Bibica branded products in the Japanese market, such as Cherry soft candy.

"Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bibica has products that have never seen a decline in sales in the Japanese market. In 2022, Bibica recorded an increase of 32 percent over the previous year and increased by 111 percent compared to 2019 before the pandemic. I hope these numbers inspire Vietnamese businesses to confidently exploit high-end international markets like Japan, the US, or the EU."

In addition to the main trading activities from March 7-10, FOODEX Japan includes many specialized exhibitions and business connection activities continuously during the 4-day event. In 2022, Japan was Vietnam's fourth largest trading partner, with a total import-export turnover of US$50 billion. The culture and cuisine of Vietnam and Japan are also highly appreciated for their harmony, which serves as a foundation to open up great cooperation opportunities in agriculture and food.