STORY: South Chinese city serves pre-cooked food home and abroad
SHOOTING DATE: May 15, 2024
DATELINE: May 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:00
LOCATION: HEZHOU, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/MARKET

SHOTLIST:
1. various of pre-made food and production
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MO SUZHENG, Deputy director, Hezhou Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LIAO YINGXIANG, Head of quality control department of a local food company, Hezhou City
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): HUANG YING, Deputy director of a local food production factory, Hezhou City

STORYLINE:

Thanks to its abundant food resources and advanced processing technology, Hezhou City in south China's Guangxi has seen a rapid growth of pre-cooked food industry in recent years.

In 2023, Hezhou's agro-product processing industry, including the ready-made meal industry, created employment for over 2,700 locals.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MO SUZHENG, Deputy director, Hezhou Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau
"The agricultural products of Hezhou are of high quality with large-scale cultivation and distinctive characteristics, which have laid a good foundation for pre-cooked food industry.
According to statistics, by the end of 2023, there were a total of 273 agricultural product processing enterprises in Hezhou City, among which 53 have obtained pre-cooked meal certification."

Located at the junction of Guangxi, Guangdong and Hunan, the regions renowned for their culinary heritage in China, Hezhou boasts preferable location to integrate the diverse culinary traditions from various regions.

In addition, the ample vegetable production capacity in Hezhou helps the development of pre-cooked meals. In 2023, Hezhou's vegetable output reached 2.8 million tonnes.

From farm to table, the processing of ready-made dishes is of vital importance.

To alleviate consumers' concerns about nutrition and safety, industry players in Hezhou have paid more attention to improve product quality.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LIAO YINGXIANG, Head of quality control department of a local food company, Hezhou City
"We don't use additives on our products. With sterilization at 125 degrees Celsius, the product can be safely preserved for approximately 9 months, ensuring that safety and hygiene concerns are effectively addressed."

Now, some companies are eyeing global markets.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): HUANG YING, Deputy director of a local food production factory, Hezhou City
"We are currently expanding into foreign markets. Our self-heating meals are now being sold in Vietnam. We are also promoting the sale of pre-cooked meals in Malaysia."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hezhou, China.
(XHTV)