Q2 Work Mobilization Meeting of Guangdong Prefabricated Dish Industry Held - Co-hosted by Gortune Investment and Union Central Kitchen
On April 28, the Q2 Work Mobilization and Deployment Meeting of the Guangdong Prefabricated Dish Industry was held in Guangzhou. The meeting gathered organizations, platforms, and enterprises from the entire industry chain to collaborate, aiming to further implement the Ten Measures for Accelerating the High-Quality Development of Guangdong’s Prefabricated Dish Industry (hereinafter “Guangdong’s Ten Measures on Prefabricated Dish”) introduced by the provincial government. The event was hosted by Gortune Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Gortune Investment”) and its subsidiary, Guangdong Union Central Kitchen Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Union Central Kitchen”).
“Eight Moves in Summer” to boost the prefabricated dish industry
Expand the prefabricated dish industry cluster
On March 25, the Guangdong Provincial Government’s General Office released the Ten Measures for Accelerating the High-Quality Development of Guangdong’s Prefabricated Dish Industry (hereinafter “Ten Measures on Prefabricated Dish”), which outlines a series of measures to promote the high-quality development of Guangdong’s prefabricated dish industry.
The specific measures in the “Ten Measures on Prefabricated Dish” include: Establishing a joint research and development platform for prefabricated dish, building a quality and safety regulatory system for prefabricated dish, expanding the prefabricated dish industry cluster, cultivating model prefabricated dish enterprises, training industry talent, advancing prefabricated dish cold-chain logistics and storage construction, expanding marketing channels for prefabricated dish brands, pushing prefabricated dish into international markets, enhancing fiscal, financial, and insurance support, and establishing Guangdong as a hub for prefabricated dish culture and science popularization.
The responsible leader from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Guangdong Province suggested at the meeting that after the spring action for prefabricated dish, a summer action should follow, encouraging the industry to implement the “Eight Moves in Summer” to fulfill the Guangdong “Ten Measures on Prefabricated Dish”.
The leader further mentioned that efforts should focus on aggregating resources across the entire prefabricated dish industry chain, supporting qualified prefecture-level cities to establish prefabricated dish industrial parks. Specific initiatives include strengthening the first prefabricated dish park in Zhaoqing (Gaoyao), exploring the creation of a “small free trade zone” for prefabricated dish in Nansha, Guangzhou, and nurturing and expanding prefabricated dish export enterprises. These measures aim to connect the main body of imported prefabricated dish, develop international export channels, create a Guangdong prefabricated dish brand, and launch activities promoting “global consumption of Guangdong prefabricated dish”.
Accelerate entry into prefabricated dish industry
Gortune Investment’s first Union Central Kitchen project is soon to break ground
According to relevant data, in 2020, the prefabricated dish market in the board sense reached approximately RMB422 billion (factory shipment standard). Of this, prefabricated dish in the narrow sense amounted to RMB107 billion, frozen meat products RMB115 billion, frozen rice and noodles RMB77 billion, ready-to-eat vegetables RMB110 billion, and self-heating food RMB13 billion.
Industry insiders believe that in the post-pandemic era, food quality safety, stable supply, and traceability of ingredients are becoming increasingly important. Central kitchen prefabricated dish, as an effective measure, achieves standardized processes, professional operations, and unified processing and distribution. This effectively drives the catering industry towards standardization, intensification, and quality improvement, ensuring food security and contributing to the overall improvement in grain and food safety to a great extent.
The scale of the blue ocean market has attracted many quality enterprises, with Gortune Investment being a typical example. In March of this year, Gortune Investment established a subsidiary, Union Central Kitchen, with a registered capital of RMB100 million. “As a representative of Guangdong’s private enterprises, Gortune Investment Co., Ltd. actively responds to the requirements of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and contributing to the development of rural revitalization industries. Therefore, we have positioned the prefabricated dish industry as an important strategic business for the Company and have personally entered the sector.” said Wang Peng, Chairman of Union Central Kitchen, in an exclusive interview with Securities Daily.
It is reported that Union Central Kitchen, as an important implementation platform for Gortune Investment’s prefabricated dish industry development, will focus on four major strategies: the prefabricated dish industry development fund, industry standard system construction, production project construction, and brand and channel development. The company will operate in a full-chain manner, covering group meals and the research, production, and sales of prefabricated dish products.
Regarding the current state and opportunities of the prefabricated dish market, Wang Peng believes that the prefabricated dish industry is not a “new” industry. It is a “new recognition” and “new development” under the “pandemic economy” and “lazy” economy. Currently, China’s prefabricated dish food market has already formed a certain scale, but the industry pattern is still in its early stages, with a “large but fragmented” state. There are no clear leading enterprises or brand hierarchies. This situation also presents an opportunity for the industry to undergo reshuffling and upgrading. “The company plans to build Union Central Kitchen into a representative brand of Guangdong’s prefabricated dish industry within the next 3 to 5 years,” said Wang Peng.
Notably, Guangdong Union Central Kitchen is currently independently constructing a model project for the prefabricated dish industry (Huizhou Tianyuan Central Kitchen), located in the rural revitalization demonstration belt “Surrounding Luofu Mountain” in Changning Town, Boluo County. The project plans to build a central kitchen garden factory, family farm landscape, parent-child themed farm, research and study camp, and more. Wang Peng explained that the project will be completed in two phases, with Phase 1 expected to meet production standards by mid-2023.