2024 has been a year full of challenges—cyclical challenges, structural challenges, and challenges from the external environment—constantly testing the resilience and adaptability of the food supply chain.
This year, the government introduced a series of new policies and measures to stabilize production, promote circulation, and expand consumption. These efforts have guided the industry toward a more standardized track and driven its transformation and upgrading.
Today, Xiaowang shares the top ten policies related to the food supply chain in 2024, analyzing new opportunities and growth points for the industry's future.
Production Side
Stabilizing Beef and Dairy Cattle Production: “Notice on Promoting the Stable Development of Beef and Dairy Cattle Production”
The Notice outlines arrangements across seven key areas: stabilizing the foundational production capacity of beef and dairy cattle, effectively reducing forage costs for farms and households, promoting integrated development of dairy farming and processing, strengthening credit and insurance policy support, enhancing support for beef and dairy cattle industries in poverty-stricken areas and for impoverished populations, boosting beef and milk consumption, and improving technical guidance services.
Xiaowang Says:
The policy addresses both supply and demand sides by stabilizing breeding stock numbers, supporting business entities, elevating high-quality industrial development, extending the industrial chain, and innovating financial policies.
With policy implementation and factors like tightening beef supply and demand in major producing countries, increased trade demand, and projected global production declines, beef prices are expected to rebound by 2025.
Expanding New Frontiers in Food Development: “Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Practicing the Grand Food Outlook and Building a Diversified Food Supply System”
Comprehensively and diversely develop food resources to broaden sourcing channels. Vigorously advance technological innovation to enhance the quality and efficiency of food development. Promote the construction of the entire industrial chain to elevate the value chain of food development.
Xiaowang says:
Driven by these policies, agricultural enterprises can seize development opportunities to enrich product lines and unlock multiple functions of agriculture.
Extend food industry chains, elevate value chains, and build supply chains to pursue industrial chain expansion and integrated development, achieving resource sharing and complementary advantages.
Processing Sector
Defining “Pre-cooked Meals”: Notice on Strengthening Food Safety Supervision of Pre-cooked Meals and Promoting High-Quality Industry Development
The notice clarifies the definition and scope of pre-cooked meals, prohibits preservative additives during production, and strongly promotes clear labeling of pre-cooked meals in catering services.
Xiaowang Says:
The pre-cooked meal industry exhibits deep integration across primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. Characterized by a long industrial chain, broad interconnections, and high technical requirements, it plays a positive role in promoting agricultural product processing, transforming the food industry, upgrading consumption, and fostering entrepreneurship and employment.
These policies chart a course for the standardized development of the pre-cooked meal industry while effectively safeguarding consumer rights.
Distribution End
Reducing Logistics Costs: Action Plan for Effectively Reducing Logistics Costs Across Society
Proposes accelerating the development of a modern supply chain system. Implement refined management to expedite inventory turnover. Improve the modern commercial distribution system. Enhance distribution organization capabilities and efficiency to reduce logistics costs in the commercial distribution sector. Accelerate the development of county-level commercial systems and strengthen urban-rural commercial distribution networks.
Xiaowang Says:
Reducing societal logistics costs requires not only national policy guidance but also joint efforts from industry associations and enterprises.
Wangjia Huan will collaborate with food supply chain partners to embrace this trend, leveraging big data, artificial intelligence, and IoT technologies to optimize logistics management. This will accelerate resource allocation and production scheduling, ultimately achieving lower logistics costs.
Supporting Specialty Agricultural Product Exports: “Several Policy Measures to Promote Stable Growth in Foreign Trade”
Expand exports of specialty agricultural products and other goods, increase promotional support, and cultivate high-quality development entities. Guide and assist enterprises in actively addressing unreasonable foreign trade restrictions to foster a favorable external environment for exports.
Xiao Wang Says:
For ingredient supply chain enterprises primarily using agricultural products as raw materials, supporting specialty agricultural exports is a significant policy benefit. It not only enhances the added value and market competitiveness of ingredient products but also facilitates international market expansion and diversified development.
With policy backing, our ingredient supply chain enterprises may accelerate the establishment of a more refined and efficient global supply chain system.
Modern Supply Chains Driving Wholesale and Retail: Action Plan for Improving the Modern Commerce and Distribution System to Promote High-Quality Development in Wholesale and Retail
Improve urban and rural commerce and distribution networks. Promote innovation and transformation in commerce and distribution. Optimize development approaches for commerce and distribution. Accelerate the open and integrated development of commerce and distribution.
Xiaowang Says:
In recent years, agricultural product distribution entities and channels have become increasingly diverse. However, some supply segments remain inefficient, leading to issues such as high ingredient wastage rates and elevated temperature-controlled logistics costs.
The introduction of these policies is expected to further reduce rural ingredient distribution costs, enhance delivery efficiency, enable specialty agricultural products to rapidly reach national and even international markets, and expand the sales radius of agricultural products.
Consumer End
Innovative consumption scenarios foster new growth drivers for the industry: Implementation Plan for the Retail Industry Innovation and Upgrading Project
Promote scenario-based transformation and enhance community-based commerce. Drive quality-oriented supply and optimize product and service experiences. Advance digital empowerment and deepen integration between physical retail and the digital economy. Encourage diversified innovation and foster business model convergence. Fifth, elevate supply chain capabilities to reduce costs and enhance efficiency.