Convenience food rebounds in China

China's convenience food industry has rebounded after a 5 year slowdown, said the Chair of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology, Meng Suhe, at the 17th China Convenience Food Convention in Beijing. 

The 17th China Convenience Food Convention in Beijing, Friday September 15, 2017. [Photo: ce.cn]

Data shows that as of the end of last year, the over 1,800 companies which produce foods such as instant noodles, frozen foods and rice products, among others, have generated revenues of 391.5 billion yuan.

File photo of instant noodles. The convenience food sector rebounds after 5 years of declines. [Photo: cnmsw.net]

This represents an increase of just over 5.5% compared to 2016.

"This year, the industry has shown a trend toward innovation to promote a transformation toward health and value, which is becoming the industry's new growth model. Convenience food has become an important part of China's food industry after several years of retooling," said Meng.

Food safety has been an underlying theme at this year's Convenience Food Convention. 

"The selection of ingredients, optimization of the production process, and an orientation toward high-end products is helping the transformation of the food industry," said Rao Pingfan, honorary Vice President of the China Academy of Food Science and Technology, who is also a food and biological engineering professor at Zhejiang University of Technology.