Opinion

A Look Into The Growing Pre-Prepared Vegetable Market in China

Value Added Vegetables
China
Published May 27, 2022
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The popularity of pre-prepared vegetables continues to surge in China, with consumers preferring ready-to-cook, instant-heated, and ready-to-eat labeled products. Production levels have risen in China, and the country is witnessing a trend of new enterprises focused on the production of pre-prepared vegetables. Currently, 66,700 Chinese companies are producing pre-prepared vegetables, an increase of 7% compared to the previous year. Chinese producers could increase their exports to neighboring countries as pre-prepared vegetable demand has increased in other global markets, such as Japan and Hong Kong.

The popularity of pre-prepared vegetables continues to surge in China, with consumers preferring ready-to-cook, instant-heated, and ready-to-eat labeled products. The way food is consumed in the country has evolved since the onset of COVID-19. The restaurant industry has been surpassed by home-cooked meals due to COVID-19 protocols and shifting consumer habits. Consumers now value products that require shorter cooking time and offer greater convenience, such as pre-prepared vegetables and meals. Supermarkets have taken note of this trend, evidenced by many outlets around the country placing these products at the front of the store to entice customers. At the same time, online sales of pre-prepared vegetables and other pre-made dishes are increasing.

Production levels have risen in China, and the country is witnessing a trend of new enterprises focused on the production of pre-prepared vegetables. Currently, 66,700 Chinese companies are producing pre-prepared vegetables, an increase of 7% compared to the previous year. Over the past three years, this number has risen significantly. In 2019, the number of new enterprises in this sector amounted to 12,800, and by 2021, 17,100 more companies had emerged. Shandong province has the most firms in this sector at 8,200, followed by Henan and Jiangsu at 6,300 and 5,600, respectively. Significant growth has also occurred in Hebei, Guangdong, and Anhui. Regarding cities, pre-prepared vegetables are most popular in Shenzen. In Changchun and Weifang, 3,343 companies produce pre-prepared vegetables and dishes, while considerable growth has occurred in Linyi, Suzhou, and Hefei.

Before the pandemic, consumer demand for this product group was tepid, as fast food outlets and fine-dining restaurants rose. We are seeing a reverse in that trend, and pre-prepared vegetables are forecast to remain in high demand in the coming years. Fresh vegetable producers are now also looking at broadening their product offerings by adding value-added options such as pre-prepared vegetables and fresh produce to take advantage of the opportunities in the current market.

Chinese producers could increase their exports to neighboring countries as pre-prepared vegetable demand has increased in other global markets, such as Japan and Hong Kong. According to industry players, the fastest growing market in this sector is South America, with imports from this region forecast to increase at an annual growth rate of 4.55% in the next four years.

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