The First Rural Banquet Industry Conference, The Fifth China Processed Food Industry Expo and Their Series of Events Kick Off in Fuzhou
On November 29, the First China Rural Banquet Industry Conference, the Fifth China Processed Food Industry Expo and their series of events were grandly opened at the Fuzhou Strait International Conference and Exhibition Center. These events were guided by the China Association of Rural Development and the Federation of China Prepared Food Industry Business Associations, and co-hosted by the Fujian Provincial Rural Revitalization Promotion Association, Fujian Provincial Rural Revitalization Foundation, C&D Conference and Exhibition Group, Sealf, and Fujian Bamin Youpin Network Technology Co., Ltd.
The Central Economic Work Conference proposed that we should adopt an all-encompassing approach to agriculture and food, and build China's agriculture into a modernized major sector. This year, the No. 1 Central Document focuses on industrial revitalization, emphasizing the need to push for the synergistic development of agricultural production, primary processing, and intensive processing and promote value-added transformation in the vicinity. The growth of major sectors requires a wide-ranging vision, while the advancement of agriculture relies on a strong platform. In line with the rural revitalization strategy and the industrial needs of rural development, this conference focused on key topics such as “rural banquet economy” and “export of prepared ingredients,” and explored new opportunities and development paths for China’s rural banquet and prepared food industries, aiming to creating a high-quality, high-standard, and authoritative platform for collaboration among government agencies, businesses, research institutions, and investors in the agricultural and food sectors, thus driving and supporting the prosperity of rural industries.
The opening ceremony was attended by Xu Weize, former Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Fujian Provincial Committee, and President of the Fujian Provincial Rural Revitalization Promotion Association; Ye Mukai, Executive President of the Fujian Provincial Rural Revitalization Promotion Association and Chairman of Fujian Provincial Rural Revitalization Foundation; Chen Jun, Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Exhibition Department of the China Association of Rural Development; Zhang Deqiang, Executive Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises; Lin Sizu, Vice President of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and Senior Researcher at the Expert Committee of the Fujian Straits Ecological Digital Development Research Institute; Lai Chaoliang, Fujian Straits Enterprise Service Center and Fujian Straits Ecological Digital Development Research Institute; Luo Zhisha, former Vice President of the Fujian High People’s Court and Vice President of the Fujian Provincial Rural Revitalization Promotion Association; Ye Yanpei, Deputy Prosecutor-General of the People’s Procuratorate of Fujian Province, and other distinguished leaders. Experts and scholars from both domestic and international renowned institutions, quality food ingredient importers and buyers, leading restaurant chain brands, professional investment institutions, and master chefs from the rural culinary industry gathered together to witness the annual event.
Xu Weize, former Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Fujian Provincial Committee, and President of the Fujian Provincial Rural Revitalization Promotion Association, extended a warm welcome to the participant on behalf of the organizer. He said, “The Processed Food Industry Expo and the China Rural Banquet Industry Conference have brought together numerous high-quality food ingredient importers, and buyers from home and abroad, providing a great platform for prepared food companies and China Rural Banquet to showcase products and expand their market reach. I believe that through the platform of the Processed Food Industry Expo and the China Rural Banquet Industry Conference, we will be able to engage in deeper exchanges, learn from each other, and jointly explore new avenues for the development of the prepared food industry. Together, we will promote ‘China Rural Banquet’ as a key IP for rural culinary culture exchanges and a key driving force for the development of agriculture, culture, and tourism, hence guiding more people to explore the paths and models for rural industrial and cultural revitalization, and effectively contribute to the overall revitalization of rural areas.”
Chen Jun, Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Exhibition Department of the China Association of Rural Development, and former Deputy Director of the National Agricultural Exhibition Center, congratulated and affirmed the successful convening of the conference. He also highly praised the development prospects of the prepared food and rural banquet industries. He said, “As an emerging industry deeply integrating modern agriculture with the food industry, the prepared food industry plays a vital role in promoting the development of rural specialty food ingredients and empowering rural revitalization. It also provides a powerful boost to promoting Chinese prepared ingredients globally, while encouraging greater exchanges and collaboration within the international food industry.” He emphasized that China Rural Banquet focuses on the inheritance and innovation of rural cuisine and culture, creating a series of regional rural banquet brands through distinctive cultural IP. The goal is to preserve the essence of nostalgia and authentic flavors in rural areas, and to achieve innovative development and creative transformation of traditional cuisine. This, in turn, will promote the integrated development of agriculture, culture, and tourism, stimulate the internal driving force of rural development, and form a replicable and scalable model of “Rural Banquet and Rural Revitalization” by integrating resources and innovating mechanisms, thus connecting cities with rural areas, tradition with modernity, culture with tourism, and prepared foods with Chinese food revolution.
Sun Jianguo, Deputy Director of the Fuzhou Customs, stated: “As the regulatory body for the import and export of goods, customs agencies bear the dual responsibility of safeguarding the nation’s borders and promoting development. In recent years, Fuzhou Customs has introduced a series of favorable measures to support the high-quality development of the prepared food export in the customs district. We have actively established platforms for food safety policy and regulatory guidance, and assisted outstanding enterprises in applying for European, American, and ASEAN food safety certifications to promote the global reach of the prepared food of Fujian cuisine, allowing the people all over the world to enjoy Chinese flavors.”
The scale and content of the pioneer exhibitions for the rural banquet and prepared food industries were further upgraded.
This conference saw significant upgrades in both scale and content. Spanning an exhibition area of 20,000 square meters and featuring 800 standard booths, the expo highlighted the whole industrial chain resources across the rural banquet and prepared food industries. Over 100 food ingredient suppliers, prepared food companies, and catering equipment and packaging suppliers were present, showcasing more than a thousand hot-selling products of the year.
Regarding the “export of prepared ingredients,” the expo brought together numerous prepared food companies with international vision and export capabilities, showcasing how they leverage international cooperation platforms such as the “Belt and Road Initiative” to bring Chinese food culture and prepared ingredients to the global market. The expo also brought together more than 500 domestic food ingredient importers and exporters, as well as over 100 international buyers from countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, and Malaysia. It provided a platform for direct sourcing and fostered international exchanges and cooperation, helping Chinese prepared ingredients gain visibility on the global stage.
As another key highlight, the “rural banquet economy” focuses on the inheritance and innovation of rural culture, as well as the extensive use of prepared ingredients in the rural banquet market. The expo showcased special rural banquet dishes and invited rural master chefs to cook on site, allowing visitors to not only savor delicious food but also deeply experience the unique charm of rural culture. Additionally, the organizers invited over 100 industry associations, more than 3,000 rural master chefs, and food ingredient distributors to the event, offering them the opportunity to select products on site and engage in face-to-face discussions with both domestic and international partners, exploring new business models and cooperation possibilities.
With the “1+5+N” model, a platform has been efficiently established to promote the deep integration of industries
This conference not only showcased the latest achievements in the industry but also built an efficient and targeted platform for exhibitors to connect with upstream and downstream suppliers, professional buyers, and more, through a series of well-planned activities. This significantly promoted the deep integration and development of the agriculture and food processing industries.
The five major summits, namely the “2024 China Prepared Food Ingredients Export Conference,” “2024 China Rural Banquet Industry Conference,” “2024 China (Fuzhou) Off-site Catering Industry Development Conference,” “2nd China Group Meal Management Think Tank Exchange Conference,” and “2024 China Prepared Food Packaging and Equipment Industry Conference,” focused on in-depth discussions of five key segments within the agriculture and food processing industries. These conferences not only invited renowned experts and scholars from the industry to deliver keynote speeches but also organized roundtable discussions, case sharing sessions, and other activities. This provided the participants with valuable opportunities for exchanges and learning, allowing them to gain a more comprehensive understanding of industry development trends and stay updated on market dynamics.
The expo specifically set up a supply-demand matchmaking area and organized events such as the 2024 Prepared Food Ingredients Overseas Procurement Conference, the “Fuzhou Travel of Japanese Enterprises” Seafood and Food Processing Industry Matchmaking Session, and the Douyin E-commerce Seafood Industry Investment Conference. These events brought together numerous professional buyers, prepared ingredient producers and suppliers, packaging material suppliers, and logistics service providers from home and abroad, creating an exchange platform for the entire industry chain. Exhibitors and buyers had the opportunity to engage in face-to-face discussions with potential partners, enabling them to quickly gain insights into market demand and supply, thus laying a solid foundation for future collaborations.
In addition to the themed summits, forums, and matchmaking sessions, a series of supporting events were also held during the expo. At the First China Rural Banquet Industry Conference, awards such as the “2024 China Rural Banquet Outstanding Rural Chef,” “2024 Rural Banquet Recommended Restaurant,” “China Rural Banquet (Fujian) Popular Rural Chef,” and “2024 China Rural Banquet Popular Banquet” were presented to outstanding individuals and establishments, setting benchmarks in the rural banquet industry; During the event, the China Rural Banquet · Tasting Dinner was held at Gaosu Flower Expo Park, a sub-venue. At the dinner, the rural chef Yang Xuebin from Minhou, Fuzhou showcased Fujian rural banquet dishes and signature products from leading ingredient companies. Exhibitors and renowned rural chefs from various regions were invited to savor the dishes while exploring the innovation and inheritance of rural banquet culture and cuisine; Additionally, the “Learning from Single-Product Champions” study tour was launched, offering customized routes for professional buyers with different needs, so that they could gain in-depth insights into leading Fujian restaurant brands and top prepared food enterprises, creating new opportunities for precise business matchmaking and in-depth industry exchanges… These events further enriched the exhibition content, enhanced its professionalism and engagement, and provided exhibitors and participants with a more comprehensive experience and valuable insights.
“The China Processed Food Industry Expo has been held for five editions. “Export of prepared ingredients” is one of the key highlights we've carefully planned for this conference. In order to more effectively promote Chinese prepared food ingredients to the world, we have gathered the most internationally competitive prepared food companies in the industry and created a series of efficient and direct international cooperation platforms, such as specialized matchmaking sessions, themed forums, and corporate study tours, building a bridge for precise connections and in-depth exchanges between domestic and international businesses.” Zhang Xingliang, General Manager of Xiamen C&D Co., Ltd., said, “We have invited over 500 domestic food ingredient importers and exporters, along with more than 100 international buyers and delegations from around the world, to witness and take part in this process of internationalization. It is not only a comprehensive showcase of the strength of Chinese prepared food companies, but also a powerful push for the deep integration and international development of the prepared food ingredient supply chain. Through this platform, we aim to accelerate the global reach of Chinese prepared ingredients and help Chinese enterprises shine on the international stage.”
“The rural banquet industry is emerging as a rising sector with significant development potential, especially in Fujian, where it is thriving. This has given rise to a number of ingredient companies catering to rural banquet products, forming a well-established industrial system. To further empower the high-quality development of the rural banquet industry, we organized the First China Rural Banquet Industry Conference together with Sealf. This event offered rural chef teams and ingredient suppliers from various regions an opportunity to engage in face-to-face exchanges with their counterparts, discussing the challenges and opportunities within the industry and exploring new paths for cooperation and development.” Zhao Qiaoli, the China Rural Banquet IP founder, said, “We look forward to working together with all of you to maximize the potential of this platform in advancing the rural banquet industry, its cultural heritage, and the development of rural chef talent. By pooling our resources, ideas, and strategies, we strive to usher in a new era of high-quality growth for China’s rural banquet industry, while supporting the revitalization and prosperity of rural industries.”
With one expo, five themed summits, and numerous industry events held in succession, the First China Rural Banquet Industry Conference, the Fifth China Processed Food Industry Expo and their series of events served not only as a grand gathering for the industry, creating a space for exchanging ideas and exploring development, but also as a strategic gala that brought together industry forces to drive the comprehensive upgrade of the rural banquet and prepared food industries. These events greatly contributed to promoting the development of rural specialty food ingredients and empowering rural revitalization, while also injecting impetus into advancing the global reach of Chinese prepared food ingredients and enhancing international exchanges and cooperation within the food industry.