Chinese cold Chain figures

China is the largest food-producing and consuming country worldwide. According to China Research Intelligence (SHCRI), there are actually 2000 meat factories in China, producing over 60 million tons annually. Frozen food represents 8.5 million, cold drinks 1.5 million, dairy products 8 million and aquatic food production reach 44 million tonnes. Whatfs more, according to Coastal International Exhibition 2010, expected growth in production for the coming years approaches 4-7% annually, except for dairy products whose annual growth is expected to reach as much as 30%. However, China still suffers from a weak cold chain: the storage capacity is only 15 million m3 (vs. 71 million m3 in the USA and 28 million m3 in Japan) most of which is used for meat (10-15% of the total) fish and dairy products, while fruit and vegetables barely have a share in it. Only 2% of the approx. 400@000 wagons running in the country are refrigerated and only 25% of perishable goods benefit from cold chain transportation. There are 60@000 refrigerated vehicles in China (as compared to 250@000 in the USA and 150@000 in Japan) with only 0.3% refrigerated trucks in the overall fleet (vs. 1% in the USA, 2.6% in the UK and 3% in Germany). Facing increasing demand and higher consumer standards, the country is therefore increasingly in need of a complete cold chain. A number of initiatives are taken to further the establishment of cold chain standards (see Newsletter of the IIR No.37 ) and a consistent cold chain. According to a recent report by Jones Lang LaSalle, the major cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzen are likely to develop as key cold chain logistic centres, along with major port cites such as Dalian and Qingdao. And according to SHCRI, frozen storage facilities will grow 24% annually as this market attracts domestic and foreign investors.