Summary
Guangdong's pre-made dishes are accelerating their expansion overseas. In 2024, Guangdong's export value of pre-made dishes through all ports reached 31.7 billion yuan, covering six continents globally; in the first half of 2025, the industry scale exceeded 96 billion yuan, accounting for 13.7% of the national total, with a year-on-year growth of over 28%. In February this year, the National Health Commission issued a draft national standard for pre-made dishes for public comments.
Guangdong has released the first batch of provincial local standards, and multiple regions are advancing standardized production capacity construction. Industry insiders believe that industrial clusters and policy support form the fundamental foundation for going global, and efforts are needed to overcome market access, localization, and cold chain links.
Commentary
Guangdong pre-made dishes are showing strong export momentum: in 2024, exports through all ports reached 31.7 billion yuan, and in the first half of 2025, the industry scale reached 96 billion yuan. Penetration rates in the US and Japanese markets have exceeded 60%, and the demand potential for Cantonese cuisine among the Chinese community in New Zealand is viewed optimistically. For NZ SMEs, local Asian food retail will face competition from low-priced, authentic Cantonese pre-made dishes; however, NZ dairy, meat, seafood, and other raw materials can enter the Guangdong pre-made dish supply chain, leveraging a clean and green image to achieve differentiation.
Guangdong's overseas expansion still needs to overcome market access, localization, and cold chain limitations. NZ cold chain warehousing and distribution companies can provide value-added services such as label review and compliant warehousing. The implementation of national standards helps reduce compliance costs, but cross-sea cold chain costs remain high, and sustained distribution depends on the efficiency of local channels.
Keywords: prepared dishes export, Guangdong, standardization construction, export value, industrial scale, national standards, local standards, market access, cold chain
Source: Tonghuashun Finance Network
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