China Focus: Vitasoy, China food standards and e-commerce feature in this round-up

By Pearly Neo

- Last updated on GMT

Beverage firm Vitasoy is building a new plant in Dongguan, Guangdong province, which will be completed in three years’ time. ©Vitasoy
Beverage firm Vitasoy is building a new plant in Dongguan, Guangdong province, which will be completed in three years’ time. ©Vitasoy

Related tags China Food safety Alcohol e-commerce

In this latest review of news from China, we take a look at developments from Vitasoy, food production standards in China, e-commerce and more.

Vitasoy builds new plant in China following ‘exponential sales growth’

Beverage firm Vitasoy is building a new plant in Dongguan, Guangdong province, which will be completed in three years’ time.

Plant production is expected to commence in April 2021.

With a land area of 100,000 square metres, this will be Vitasoy’s largest production site in mainland China​.

‘Can’t call this soy sauce’: Over 20 products fail to meet China’s production standards

Twenty-nine fermented soy sauce products, including the likes of Xie Yuan and Lee Kum Kee, have failed to meet China’s production standards​, according to a sample test conducted by Jiangsu Consumer Council.

The council bought 120 seasonings from the supermarkets, shopping malls, e-commerce sites, and farmer markets from Nanjing, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, and Suzhou.

According to the results released last month, one of the key problems detected was the manufacturers’ failure to produce fermented soy sauce that contains sufficient amounts of amino acid nitrogen and nitrogen. 

E-booze: China comes out top in global e-commerce alcohol sales

According to the IWSR Ecommerce Study: A strategic roadmap for alcoholic beverages​ report, the Chinese e-commerce market for alcoholic drinks is valued at US$ 6.1 bn (CNY 41.9 bn).

“This is four times the size of the US beverage alcohol ecommerce market, and three times the size of the next-largest markets of France and the UK,”​ said IWSR in a statement.

Two of China’s e-commerce giants, Tmall and JD.com, take up 70% of the online alcohol market in China. Over 50% of Chinese consumers make online purchases on a monthly or more frequent basis.

‘Unstoppable' online grocery march: Four levels of development identified within Asia by TetraPak

Online grocery is on an ‘unstoppable march’ in Asia, but the Tetra Pak Index 2018 report has identified four different rates of development across the region​.

These have been classified as: Leap-frogging pioneers, Pioneers, Laggards and Resisters.

“Online grocery shopping is on an unstoppable march, taking an ever-greater share of the food retail market,”​ said Dennis Jönsson, Tetra Pak Group President & CEO.

‘Best in the world’: Dairy Australia programme extols virtue of produce to Chinese

The Dairy Australia Greater China Scholarship Programme welcomed professionals from China’s dairy industry to Australia this year to learn more about the ‘world’s best’ dairy industry​.

These programme participants came from roles such as food safety, manufacturing, marketing and research, said Sarah Xu, Dairy Australia international marketing manager.

"[What these participants get is a] vital understanding and new appreciation of what makes Aussie dairy the best in the world, including Australia's quality assurance and food safety systems,” ​said Xu.

“[They] leave the country with a solid understanding of the entire dairy supply chain."

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