One mistake, price of an entire shipment
In April 2026, a 13.5-tonnes shipment of canned pineapples from Vietnam was seized and banned from circulation by Polish authorities. Notably, the product did not violate food safety standards in conventional sense; it was not contaminated or spoiled. Entire issue stemmed from errors on the label: inaccurate ingredient information and an incorrect expiration date.
Not long before, shipments of coconut milk and dried mangoes from Vietnam were also banned in this market for the same reason. Three different products, but sharing the same "bottleneck": labeling errors.
Not only in Europe, seemingly minor mistakes have also caused difficulties for Vietnamese agricultural products in other markets. A few years ago, the first shipment of longan exported to Australia was stopped from customs clearance simply because it did not meet packaging standards, even though regulations had been clearly published. Requirements such as vent hole size, mesh thickness or packaging sealing methods are detailed technical specifications, but they are crucial in determining whether goods are allowed to be imported.
In international trade, labels, packaging and packing specifications are no longer secondary factors. They are part of product quality and safety standards. In demanding markets, all information on labels is considered a legal commitment. Even a small discrepancy can lead to the product being deemed in violation and removed from the market.
However, in traditional approach, many Vietnamese businesses still view labeling as a final, purely formal step. This mindset is becoming a "fatal weakness," causing many shipments to be returned or destroyed, resulting in significant financial losses and damage to reputation.
Stricter Standards Force Businesses to Adapt
International trade environment is rapidly changing beyond just labeling, with rise of technical barriers and green standards. Major markets demand not only quality and price but also stringent criteria regarding traceability, carbon emissions, circular economy and social responsibility.
European Union (EU) is a prime example. Besides strict food safety regulations, EU is implementing a series of new policies related to packaging, environment and chemicals. Regarding labeling and information, by August 12, 2028 at the latest, all packaging must include waste classification labels according to EU standards to guide EU consumers in waste sorting. By January 2030, packaging must include information identifying substances of concern. This is not just a technical requirement, but also a criterion for evaluating sustainability of the product.
Notably, EU is shifting its approach to pesticide residue control from "risk assessment" to "hazard assessment." Accordingly, if even one active ingredient is assessed as posing a risk to health or the environment, permissible residue level can be lowered to very low levels, even close to zero. This means there is virtually no room for error.
According to Mr. Nguyen Quy Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), in context of increasingly stringent standards, quality control must begin at the source. Businesses need to understand production process, types of pesticides used, withdrawal period and permissible residue levels for each market. "We cannot wait until goods reach the border to take action. If we don't control it from the beginning, risks are unavoidable", Mr. Duong emphasized.
Vietnam is currently one of the world's leading agricultural exporters, with many products achieving high export values. However, along with opportunities comes increasing pressure from importing markets.
A positive sign is that in 2025, number of EU warnings regarding Vietnamese agricultural products decrease by nearly 50%, from 114 warnings in 2024 to 60. However, this does not mean that risks have decreased, as regulations are constantly being updated and tightened.
In an interview with Industry and Trade Newspaper, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thuong Lang (Institute of International Trade and Economics, National Economics University) stated that the biggest weakness of Vietnamese businesses today lies not in product quality, but in their management and production organization systems. Small mistakes, such as a line of text on a label or a detail in the packaging, can become major obstacles on path to integration.
Export market standards are increasingly high and demanding, meaning meticulous attention to detail is no longer an option. This is a mandatory condition for Vietnamese agricultural products to go far and sustainably.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn