Vietnam first time has award-winning dairy products

Like Michelin Stars, which recognizes diners and restaurants, the Superior Taste Award is a prestigious international award, ranking “stars” for quality food and beverage products. Significantly, this year is the first time Vietnam has two dairy products rated 3-star – the highest rate – in terms of taste. Six other products are also awarded stars, all from the “brand of the people” Vinamilk.

Vinamilk - the first Vietnamese dairy brand to receive a “three-star” for its premium taste

Recently, the Michelin Guide honored restaurants and diners in Vietnam and has been the focus of the media. But few people know that, in the culinary industry, there is also a prestigious award that endows “stars” for delicious food and drinks. It is the international Superior Taste Award, recognized by the International Taste Institute.

Similar to Michelin’s stars, the Superior Taste Award recognizes and ranks food and beverage products on three levels, corresponding to the number of stars endorsed. Accordingly, the product with the highest level receives three stars – a premium delicacy, exceeding expectations (with a review score of 90% or more); two-star products are excellent delicacies (scoring 80-90% of the criteria) and one-star products are typical delicacies (scoring 70-80% of the criteria).

In particular, products will be scored based on five international Hedonic sensory analysis criteria (AFNOR XP V096A), including first impression, sight, smell, taste, and texture (for food) or aftertaste (for drinks).

Notably, this year’s award has two top-rated three-star dairy products from Vietnam for the first time: Ong Tho condensed milk and Vinamilk Super Nut milk. If Ong Tho condensed milk is a product dubbed the “brand of the people” for nurturing many generations of Vietnamese people in the past 47 years, Super Nut is a “newbie” launched over a year ago. Both are Vinamilk's bestsellers today.

In addition to two excellent three-star products, Vinamilk also has a series of other products named in the “Premium Taste” list, including Vinamilk Green Farm fresh milk products, Vinamilk 100% Organic, Fruit Love Pomegranate Juice, Vfresh Artichoke Tea and Phuong Nam Star Condensed milk.

“Star” for good taste – thanks to premium quality

To be honored with the Superior Taste Award, Vinamilk’s products must succeed a jury of over 200 professional and independent taste experts. These members come from prestigious sommelier and chef associations such as Le Guide Michelin, Gault & Millau and are carefully selected based on their tasting experience.

The jury of chefs and experts is entirely uninformed about the product, except for the variety, and does not communicate with each other during the tasting process. It ensures that the results are completely objective and independent. This fair and rigorous evaluation process, together with a prestigious jury, has made the Superior Taste Award, after nearly 20 years since the first edition, the leading award for product taste in the food and beverage industry in the world. It is significant for many global brands when prestigious stars endorse them.

“With eight products endorsed at the Superior Taste Award, including Ong Tho condensed milk and Vinamilk Super Nut milk awarded three stars for their tastes, this is a great encouragement for Vinamilk. Because in the food and beverage industry, delicious taste is crucial besides quality. We believe that many people will want to taste the delicious made-in-Vietnam dairy products, which create advantages for Vietnamese dairy products when entering the international market,” said Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Executive Director of Research & Development at Vinamilk.

Currently, Vinamilk has over 250 nutritional products catering to almost all dietary needs. Besides rigorously sourcing raw materials from reputable domestic and international suppliers, Vinamilk invests in the systematic development of dairy farms in Vietnam toward international standards. It allows the brand to source fresh, nutritious, and outstanding raw materials proactively.

Furthermore, a system of 13 factories with fully automatic, closed, and strictly controlled production lines has ensured that millions of Vinamilk products are delivered to consumers while maintaining their delicious taste and nutritious ingredients.

Vinamilk received international recognition as it has been continuously honored with many prestigious awards for quality and taste. Vinamilk receives endorsements from the Purity Awards (USA) for all brands of baby formula for safety and purity; the Clean Label Project (USA) for fresh milk products such as Green Farm, Organic, and 100% Fresh Milk; or the Monde Selection Award (Belgium) of golden quality for Vinamilk Super Nut Milk and Green Farm Fresh Milk.