Enterprise

What Competitive Advantage Enables Masan MEATLife to Optimize Operational Efficiency and Sustain Growth Momentum?

Modern consumers are no longer satisfied with simply choosing fresh and healthy food. They demand transparency, prioritizing products with clear origins, ethical production processes, and guaranteed nutritional value to safeguard the well-being of their families.

Administrator

7 October, 2025

Shifting Consumer Trends Towards Safe Food

The meat consumption market in Vietnam is undergoing a significant transformation. Previously, most products sold were unbranded meat, primarily through traditional channels. However, in recent years, consumers have become increasingly concerned about safety, quality certifications, and clear product origins.

Experts attribute this shift to urbanization and heightened consumer awareness, particularly among young people and modern families. Buyers are willing to pay more for reputable brands or products with traceable QR codes.

This transition presents substantial growth opportunities for companies with closed-loop value chains, reputable brands, and advanced technology. Among them, Masan MEATLife (UPCoM: MML) leads in introducing European-standard chilled meat technology to Vietnam with its MEATDeli products, catering to the growing trend of “eating clean, living healthy” among consumers.

Advantages of European Chilled Meat Technology and Reputable Branding

Masan MEATLife, a subsidiary of Masan Group (HOSE: MSN), applies chilling technology throughout its production process: from slaughtering, deboning, packaging, to distribution. Chilled meat is produced under strict conditions, maintaining temperatures between 0-4°C across all stages from slaughtering to distribution. This process not only extends shelf life but, more importantly, preserves freshness, nutritional value, and ensures food safety.

Masan MEATLife’s two MEATDeli chilled meat processing complexes in Hà Nam and Long An are equipped with synchronized, state-of-the-art production lines supplied by Marel, a leading Dutch company in slaughtering and meat processing equipment. The entire production process adheres to European chilled meat technology and complies with the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety established by the British Retail Consortium. Holding this certification means MML’s products meet stringent standards for safety, transparency, and traceability.

Supply Chain Technology and Modern Retail Ecosystem

Alongside processing technology, MML focuses on optimizing distribution through WiNARE, an intelligent supply chain management solution developed by Masan. This technology enables the company to forecast demand, optimize inventory, reduce waste, and enhance operational efficiency.

In Ho Chi Minh City, within just four months (May-August 2025), the meat category’s spoilage rate decreased by nearly 2% of revenue, saving tens of billions of VND monthly. Shelf availability (DR) increased from 80% to nearly 90%, while maintaining optimal inventory levels.

Beyond technology, MML benefits from its synergy with over 4,200 WinMart and WinMart+ retail stores. In August 2025, Masan MEATLife reported positive business results with a sales volume of 14,007 tons, up 12.9% year-on-year. Net revenue reached 999 billion VND, a 11.1% increase, reflecting stable demand and growing contributions from modern retail channels. Operational efficiency improved significantly, with EBIT at 50 billion VND, up 42.9% year-on-year, and after-tax profit surging to 35 billion VND, a 60.5% increase.

At the group level, according to Masan, in the first nine months of 2025, Masan’s after-tax profit before minority interests (NPAT Pre-MI) exceeded 90% of its base-case profit plan for 2025. As a key component of Masan’s consumer-retail ecosystem, MML significantly contributed to this positive outcome.

Despite favorable trends in modern consumption and advantages in technology and distribution, the meat industry faces challenges. Competition is intensifying as both domestic and international companies accelerate investments, while raw material and operational costs remain unpredictable. Scaling up requires substantial financial resources and increasingly complex supply chain management. Additionally, traditional shopping habits persist, slowing the shift toward branded, quality-standardized products. These factors demand that companies balance growth, efficiency optimization, and consumer trust.

In this context, Masan MEATLife is expected to sustain growth by leveraging the trend toward safe, branded, and traceable meat. With a diverse product portfolio ranging from chilled to processed meat and distribution through over 4,200 WinCommerce stores, MML is expanding its reach while optimizing costs. Long-term, the company has the potential to lead Vietnam’s branded meat industry.

Masan Group Corporation (HOSE: MSN) is one of Vietnam’s leading consumer-retail companies, dedicated to providing high-quality essential products and services to domestic and international consumers. Masan’s ecosystem spans multiple high-growth sectors: fast-moving consumer goods (Masan Consumer with Chin-Su, Nam Ngư, Omachi, Kokomi, Wake-Up 247), branded meat (Masan MEATLife with MEATDeli, Ponnie, Heo Cao Bồi), retail (WinCommerce with WinMart, WinMart+), tea and coffee (Phúc Long Heritage), and advanced materials (Masan High-Tech Materials).

Minh Tài

– 06:50 07/10/2025