Stricter regulations placed on semi-prepared food

Authorities have moved to tighten oversight on the fast-expanding semi-prepared food industry, rolling out rules over the use of additives and requiring restaurants to make it clear to customers if a dish consists of semi-prepared ingredients.

The reforms were outlined in a circular unveiled on Thursday by six government agencies led by the State Administration for Market Regulation.

Industry insiders say the rules are the first of their kind in China, and clarify the boundaries for semi-prepared food, and set out safety and quality standards for the multibillion-yuan industry.

China has more than 70,000 companies making semi-prepared food items. These have undergone some preparation but are not fully cooked or ready to eat, Xinhua News Agency reported. The output value of the industry topped 500 billion yuan ($69.4 million) last year and is on track to surpass 1 trillion yuan in the years to come.

The circular has drawn a line between semi-prepared food and other food items, such as instant noodles and frozen dumplings, that could be passed off as semi-prepared.

It said semi-prepared food must be a dish rather than a staple such as dumplings, and can be consumed after heating or boiling.

Zhang Chunhui, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Institute of Food Science and Technology, told Xinhua the rules raised the threshold for companies vying for a piece of the pie, and set apart semi-prepared food companies from other business models, such as those involved in processing and packaging pre-cut vegetables and meat.

The circular also addressed longtime concerns around the unregulated use of food additives and preservatives.

It said preservatives will be banned from being used in the making of semi-prepared food items, and the use of additives must be strictly controlled alongside the quality of other raw materials.

The stepped-up focus on food safety comes after a media exposé showed companies in Fuyang, Anhui province, a stronghold of semi-prepared food makers, had used pork neck — an area with glands, lipoma and thyroid — to make a traditional Chinese dish that consists of pork belly and preserved mustard greens, to expand their profit margins.

The companies involved have been shut down and their owners detained.

Semi-prepared food, which is ready for consumption after simple cooking, flourished during the pandemic lockdowns, when white-collar employees were forced to work from home and cook for themselves.

The products were also embraced by restaurants to increase turnover, though some consumers have felt deceived when coming to realize the dishes they paid for are not cooked from scratch.

The circular called on restaurants to mark out dishes cooked from semi-prepared food to ensure consumers' rights to make informed choices.