Requirements on quality and heavy-metal content are becoming increasingly strict, creating significant pressure on the imported raw materials that the animal feed industry relies on. Imported squid liquid and squid liver paste, in particular, carry a risk of exceeding permitted heavy-metal limits when the input supply is not consistently controlled.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) sees this as both a compliance and a supply-security problem for feed producers, and has responded by developing a domestic hydrolyzed squid liquid whose quality can be controlled from raw material through to production.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) controls quality from raw material to production

SSH-PLUS hydrolyzed squid liquid delivers a natural squid flavour that stimulates animals to feed and improves their acceptance of feed, while supplying easily digestible protein. Because VNF controls the product from raw material through to production, feed producers gain active control over input quality rather than depending on variable imported supply.

SSH-PLUS is controlled for heavy-metal content to meet current State regulations, with the following low limits:

• Arsenic: ≤ 25 mg/kg
• Lead: ≤ 10 mg/kg
• Cadmium: ≤ 2 mg/kg
• Mercury: ≤ 0.5 mg/kg

A hydrolyzed squid liquid that reduces dependence on imported ingredients

SSH-PLUS is suitable for both aqua feed and animal feed. In use, it helps increase feed attraction and feeding response, improve digestive efficiency, optimise the feed conversion ratio and keep formula quality stable.

By offering a controlled domestic alternative to imported squid liver paste, squid liquid and squid liver powder, SSH-PLUS helps producers reduce their dependence on imported materials. As quality and safety standards continue to tighten across the feed sector, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) positions SSH-PLUS as a way for businesses to secure their own supply, control quality and develop safe, effective feed formulations.

During the farming cycle, uneaten feed, organic waste and accumulated bottom sludge can steadily reduce water quality in a pond. As this material builds up, it can generate toxic gases and create favourable conditions for pathogens, increasing the risk of disease for the stock.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approaches this challenge through biology rather than constant water exchange, treating organic load in the pond as something to be broken down on site instead of flushed out. This is the problem Ecovital EM is designed to address as a biological water treatment for aquaculture.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) applies Bacillus spp. probiotics to break down organic matter

Ecovital EM is a high-quality Bacillus spp. preparation with a density above 10⁹ CFU/L, made up of Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria that are aerobic or facultatively anaerobic, with high stability and easy storage and use. Its diverse microbial system — more than 2,000 species — helps break down organic matter from uneaten feed quickly, reduce bottom sludge and limit the accumulation of waste in the pond.

By decomposing this organic load, Ecovital EM helps lower toxic gases such as NH₃, NO₂ and H₂S and reduces the nutrient supply that pathogens depend on to multiply. VNF reports that the product acts quickly, is safe and effective, carries a competitive cost, and has already been deployed on many ponds in Vietnam, in line with the wider shift toward biological solutions in aquaculture.

A no-water-exchange pangasius model shows higher survival and lower operating costs

Ecovital EM has been applied in a no-water-exchange pangasius farming model in Vietnam. On a pond of roughly 10,000 m² stocking small pangasius from about 20 g, over the first three months, the product was used together with aeration and periodic microbial dosing.

Compared with the traditional water-exchange model, the no-exchange model recorded a survival rate roughly 7–12% higher, lower operating costs from reduced water pumping and exchange, more stable water quality, less bottom-sludge accumulation, and a lower risk of introducing pathogens from external water sources into the pond.

As aquaculture moves toward more sustainable practices, biological water treatment for aquaculture is becoming a practical way to stabilise the pond environment while controlling costs. The Ecovital EM experience of Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) points to a model of safe, sustainable, no-water-exchange farming that other producers across the sector can build on.

Raw, fresh and wet foods are among the hardest products to keep stable. Microorganisms, mould and oxidation act quickly on them, changing colour, smell, taste and texture and shortening the time a product stays usable. For makers of raw and wet pet food, that short and unpredictable shelf life is a constant quality and cost problem, and it often pushes producers toward synthetic preservatives.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approaches the problem from its own raw-material base: Vietnamese shrimp. Instead of treating shrimp heads and shells as waste, the company processes them into chitosan, positioning a by-product stream as the starting point for a natural preservation solution.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) develops shrimp-derived chitosan to preserve pet food naturally

From Vietnamese shrimp by-products, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) produces chitosan, a natural polysaccharide derived from chitin, and develops it specifically as a preservation aid for raw, fresh and wet pet food. Chitosan works through three complementary mechanisms. It is antibacterial, inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and mould. It forms a protective film that limits bacterial penetration and slows spoilage. And it is antioxidant, helping to capture free radicals and hold back the oxidation of components inside the product.

The material is also practical on a production line. VNF notes that its chitosan is naturally sourced, tolerates heat well up to 200°C, and does not significantly affect the flavour of the finished product. It can be mixed directly at a ratio of 0.3–0.6% once the ingredients have been cooked, which makes it straightforward to fit into existing pet-food recipes without a separate processing step.

VNF trials show chitosan extends shelf life while preserving flavour and texture

The clearest evidence comes from VNF‘s own product trials. In a test on sliced pork, chitosan reduced the total count of aerobic microorganisms by 85% and the total yeast and mould count by 88%. In minced meat, the corresponding reductions reached 96% and 87%. In a fresh pâté application, a formulation containing 0.5% chitosan combined with rosemary extract extended shelf life to 14 days while keeping the product’s flavour and texture intact.

Taken together, these results show chitosan doing more than one job at once — lowering microbial load, delaying oxidation and protecting the sensory quality that pet owners judge a product by. For Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF), that combination is the point: one natural, shrimp-derived ingredient that can replace part of the synthetic preservative system in raw and wet pet food.

Interest in natural and biological preservation is growing across the food and pet-food industries as producers look to cut synthetic additives without sacrificing safety or shelf life. By turning shrimp by-products into chitosan, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) links that demand to a circular-economy model — extending the usable life of products, maintaining quality and reducing dependence on synthetic additives. It is an example of how a Vietnamese shrimp processor can move up the value chain, turning what was once waste into a functional ingredient with applications well beyond a single product.

Everyday factors — stress, too little exercise, advancing age and long-running health problems — can push the oxidation process in a pet’s body higher than normal. When free radicals form in excess, cells become vulnerable to damage, the body weakens more quickly, and pets face a higher risk of premature aging. For many owners these changes are hard to spot until they appear as a dull coat, low energy or slower recovery.

Recognising this gap in everyday pet care, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approached the problem through its core expertise in shrimp-derived ingredients, where naturally occurring antioxidants can be recovered and put to practical use in a natural astaxanthin for pets.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) turns shrimp-derived astaxanthin into AstaPal

AstaPal contains natural astaxanthin sourced from shrimp — a carotenoid singled out for its exceptional antioxidant strength. Thanks to its particular molecular structure, astaxanthin can help neutralise singlet oxygen and free radicals, protect cell membranes, and limit the damage caused by oxidative stress. VNF describes three complementary modes of support in AstaPal: neutralising singlet oxygen and free radicals to help slow oxidation; protecting cells to help limit damage in the brain, eyes, skin, joints and other organs; and supporting overall health by helping maintain energy, focus and vitality.

The antioxidant case for natural astaxanthin is backed by published research. An in vitro study reported that natural astaxanthin was a far stronger antioxidant than several common compounds — roughly 6,000 times that of vitamin C, about 800 times CoQ10, around 560 times EGCG, about 500 times vitamin E, and roughly 50 times synthetic astaxanthin (Capelli, Bagchi & Cysewski, 2013). For Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF), that evidence underlines why a shrimp-derived, natural source of astaxanthin sits at the heart of AstaPal.

Field use across Vietnamese vet clinics points to everyday value

Beyond the laboratory, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) has used and monitored AstaPal on more than 90 pets across over 20 breeds of dogs and cats, working alongside more than 20 veterinary clinics in Vietnam. The product has been observed in healthy animals as well as pets that were off their food, recovering from injury, or dealing with coat and skin, eye or respiratory concerns. Extracted from shrimp and dosed simply by dropping it directly onto daily food, AstaPal is designed to fit into an ordinary feeding routine rather than a clinical one.

Interest in antioxidants such as astaxanthin is growing as pet owners look for preventive, science-informed nutrition rather than reactive treatment. By recovering a high-value carotenoid from shrimp and channelling it into AstaPal, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) connects its circular-economy work in shrimp by-products to a fast-expanding pet-care market — a reminder that natural astaxanthin for pets can be both a wellness ingredient and an example of turning marine by-products into everyday value.

Across many farming regions, cultivated land is becoming increasingly depleted and degraded, a decline that feeds directly into lower crop yields and poorer produce quality. When the soil loses its structure and its living microbial balance, plants struggle to take up nutrients and hold water, and farmers face rising costs to keep output stable.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) approaches this problem by focusing on two levers that are often overlooked: restoring balance to the soil’s microbial community and returning organic nutrients to the ground. The company sees the combination of shrimp protein and indigenous microorganisms as a practical route to rebuilding soil fertility rather than simply adding more chemical inputs.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) combines shrimp protein with indigenous microbes in a three-part biological system

At the centre of VNF‘s biological soil improvement solutions are three complementary products. Ecovital EM is a biological preparation containing Bacillus spp. together with 2,000 indigenous microbial strains; these microbes compete with pathogens for nutrients and living space and form a biological gel that makes the soil looser, more porous and better able to retain water.

PeptiBlossom, a hydrolysed shrimp protein, supplies peptides and amino acids that feed these microorganisms, driving stronger microbial activity and improving both soil structure and fertility. ChitoBlossom, based on chitosan and its derivatives, chelates minerals to raise nutrient uptake, increases soil porosity, and forms a protective biofilm around plant roots. Together, the three products of Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) work as a system — feeding the soil, activating its microbes, and protecting the root zone.

Field trials and international research support the approach

Evidence for the approach comes from both local trials and international studies. In a trial at Xuân Lộc, Đồng Nai, combining Ecovital EM with organic matter tripled the density of cellulose-decomposing microorganisms and raised the level of readily available nitrogen by close to two times. An international study conducted between Germany and Iran on dry loam soil found that chitosan markedly improved soil structure, increased usable water retention, and stimulated microbial activity — reinforcing the role of ChitoBlossom within VNF‘s system.

What began as shrimp processing by-products — heads and shells once treated as waste — has been turned by Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) into biological soil improvement solutions that leave soil looser, richer in nutrients, and better able to support healthy crops. The wider significance is a circular-economy model in which a coastal seafood industry’s residues become inputs for more sustainable farming, an example of how Vietnamese companies can add value along the whole agricultural chain through biotechnology.

Pet food formulators face growing demand for palatability, digestive support and health benefits drawn from natural sources rather than synthetic additives. At the same time, shrimp processing generates large volumes of heads, shells and by-products that, if left unused, add cost and environmental pressure. This combination — a need for high-value functional ingredients and a stream of under-used raw material — is the gap that Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) set out to address in the pet nutrition market.

Building on positive results achieved since 2025, VNF returned to Thailand to meet customers and partners and to continue promoting shrimp-based functional ingredients derived from Vietnamese shrimp in the food and pet nutrition industries.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) presents shrimp-based functional ingredients at an expanded Pet Workshop

The highlight of the trip was a Pet Workshop that Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) co-organized with strategic partner CF Chem (Cinnamon Group of Company). Following the success of the earlier program, this edition was expanded in scale, drawing more than 40 R&D and technical experts from the pet nutrition industry. Participants discussed market needs, challenges in product development and the potential to apply shrimp-based solutions in Thailand.

At the workshop, VNF introduced three functional ingredients from Vietnamese shrimp. Shrimp Peptide enhances natural palatability and supports digestion. Chitosan helps control phosphate absorption and maintain kidney health. Astaxanthin acts as an antioxidant and supports immunity. In addition, RetriV was presented as a solution that recovers nutrients from production wastewater, helping pet food manufacturers reduce the burden of wastewater treatment while creating additional value from otherwise lost nutrients.

Shrimp-based functional ingredients open new value for regional pet nutrition and the circular economy

As sustainability shapes purchasing across the food and feed industries, ingredients that combine functional performance with responsible sourcing are increasingly in demand. By turning shrimp by-products into Shrimp Peptide, Chitosan, Astaxanthin and recovered nutrients through RetriV, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) offers pet nutrition manufacturers a route to differentiated products and a lower environmental footprint at the same time.

VNF thanked CF Chem and its representatives — Ekachai Laohaphand, Jiraphan Sanongsuk, Duangkamon Thuppaman and Wareerak Paralux — for their partnership in connecting, preparing and hosting the program, and thanked the customers, partners and experts who took part.

Beyond a single event, the workshop reflects a broader shift in which shrimp-based functional ingredients from Vietnam move deeper into regional and global value chains. It shows how a circular-economy approach — recovering value from what was once treated as waste — can support both product innovation and sustainability across the pet nutrition industry.

Shrimp, rice and coffee are three flagship sectors of Vietnamese agriculture, but they are confronting pressure over emissions, resource use and the increasingly strict sustainability requirements of export markets. Processing and cultivation across these chains generate large volumes of by-products that, if not handled effectively, raise costs and add to environmental burden.

A circular economy offers a way forward by adding value to by-products, cutting emissions and using resources more efficiently. It was this shared challenge that brought together research institutions, businesses and development organisations to launch a joint initiative for the shrimp, rice and coffee sectors.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) signs a cross-sector MoU on circular economy

On 9 July 2026 in Ca Mau, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rikolto International, the Vietnam Sustainable Shrimp Alliance (VSSA), Tay Nguyen University, Leanwares Corporation and the Institute for Circular Economy Development (ICED) to promote a cross-sectoral circular economy across the shrimp, rice and coffee industries in the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands.

The signing took place within a workshop co-organised by Rikolto International and the Delegation of the European Union in Vietnam, launching the initiative “Promoting cross-sectoral circular economy for the sustainable development of the shrimp, rice and coffee sectors in the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands, Vietnam.” Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the parties will jointly conduct research, share knowledge, connect resources and develop circular economy models.

VNF said it will draw on its R&D and manufacturing strengths in processing and shrimp by-product valorization, while developing applications for soil improvement, crop nutrition, disease prevention and crop preservation — helping to expand circular economy models across the shrimp industry and neighbouring value chains.

Circular economy opens new value for Vietnam’s shrimp, rice and coffee chains

The initiative is designed to strengthen cooperation among research organisations, businesses, regulators and farming communities, building a circular economy ecosystem that raises the value of agricultural products and supports green growth. By valorizing by-products from the shrimp industry and other chains, the model seeks to lift value across the whole supply chain while easing environmental pressure.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) expressed its thanks to Rikolto International, the Delegation of the European Union in Vietnam and its partners for accompanying the initiative and working to bring circular economy solutions into practice. As sustainability moves from a market expectation to a competitive requirement, cross-sector collaboration of this kind shows how Vietnamese agriculture can turn by-products into value and take a deeper role in global sustainable value chains.

Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) was honored to welcome the interns of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council – Private Sector Development Committee IV for a visit and exchange at our company.

With its role in researching, advising, and proposing policies on the private economy, while promoting public-private dialogue and connecting businesses with the policymaking process, Committee IV also focuses on nurturing the next generation through its internship program.

During the meeting, Ms. Phạm Thị Ngọc Thủy, Director of Committee IV, shared that Vietnam’s development strategy should be built on the country’s core strengths, among which agriculture plays an important role.

This perspective is also aligned with VNF’s approach to agricultural development: focusing on research and development of solutions that add value to shrimp co-products, contributing to the effective use of local resources and expanding practical applications for Vietnamese agriculture.

During the exchange, VNF shared how R&D activities help transform shrimp co-products into products serving agriculture, food, pet care, and water treatment. This is also an example of how innovation and circular economy thinking can help make better use of available resources.

Through these practical stories, VNF hopes to open a perspective for young people: innovation does not always have to begin with grand ideas. It can start by looking back at available resources and creating new value from them.

VNF sincerely thanks Committee IV for creating the opportunity for the company to accompany the program and meet the interns. We wish the students many meaningful experiences on their learning journey, as they continue nurturing new ideas and contributing to Vietnam’s development.