Ms. Cao Thi Cam Nhung (2nd from left) visits the raw jackfruit growing area in Nga Bay city (Hau Giang province). Photo: Provided by the character.

Sharing the opportunity to turn jackfruit into a meat-like food, Ms. Nhung said that in her locality (Nga Bay city, Hau Giang province), a lot of Thai jackfruit is grown. This fruit has helped many families have a stable life. However, in 2019-2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumption and export were affected, causing the price of Thai jackfruit in Hau Giang to decrease by 7-10 times but it was still very difficult to sell. Looking at the jackfruit trees full of fruit but not being able to sell and waiting for the price to fall, Ms. Nhung thought of processing jackfruit into snacks from jackfruit in the style of "savory" dishes (made from meat). In early 2022, three jackfruit products from the Lemit Foods brand were launched, including pate, sliced ​​​​fish cake, and rice paper. Up to now, the product collection has been richer with the addition of snacks (cheese flavor and pink salt flavor), dried jackfruit and jackfruit mushrooms. According to Ms. Nhung, after 3 months of launching plant-based meat products to the market, Lemit Foods has recorded a sales growth of nearly 30%. Currently, jackfruit pate has become the main product, trusted and chosen by many domestic customers. In addition to establishing a company in Nga Bay city, she has also built online sales channels on websites and social networks. "I want to use jackfruit ingredients to create products with diverse tastes and types. With this plant-based meat product, I hope consumers will have many choices of vegetarian and diet foods... to protect their health and the environment," Ms. Nhung shared. Ms. Nhung knows that to create plant-based meat products from jackfruit, it must go through many stages such as harvesting, latex treatment, soaking, processing, pasteurization, sterilization, and packaging. Of which, the most difficult step is the plastic treatment. To dissolve the plastic, jackfruit is cut into small pieces, dipped in hot water and dried at the appropriate temperature. "From young to ripe jackfruit, almost all of it is used except for the peel, which means contributing to increasing the value of jackfruit for farmers," said Ms. Nhung.

Plant-based meat products made from jackfruit. Photo: Character provided.

Ms. Nhung informed that according to market research, plant-based meat in Vietnam has a growth rate of more than 10% per year and is expected to reach more than 500 million USD in the next few years. Previously, 70% of the raw materials for plant-based meat were soybeans and now jackfruit, opening up opportunities for her when Hau Giang province has an abundant raw material area. "Young jackfruit is pruned to help the remaining fruits grow well. Therefore, using young jackfruit as raw material will help increase the value of the jackfruit tree and ensure sustainable development, protecting the environment," Ms. Nhung said. According to Ms. Nhung, jackfruit is also a commodity with unstable prices, so when there is a stable source of income from young jackfruit, gardeners will increase their income, helping them feel secure in production. Currently, she has signed a purchase agreement with local jackfruit growers with an area of ​​nearly 500 hectares of jackfruit, with a purchase price of 5,000 VND/kg, helping nearly 50 households have a stable output. Each month, the company consumes 1.5 - 3 tons of young jackfruit to process plant-based meat products.