Brief Introduction of Food Industry Chain
The upstream of the food industry supply chain is dominated by raw materials, such as barley, wheat, sugar, coffee, cocoa, corn, soybeans, rapeseed, sorghum, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and other animals and plants and raw materials for aquatic products; the middle reaches are mainly After processing, it is made into intermediate foods such as cereals, starch products (such as cereal, flour, rice, corn flour), edible fats, fructose, maltose, frozen meat, frozen vegetables, processed beans (such as tofu, bean skin); Downstream is food that can be directly used by consumers, such as frozen, canned, dehydrated, pickled food, dairy products, nutritious food, etc. Furthermore, the catering chain channel belongs to the downstream of the food industry chain.
1. Upstream
Raw materials refer to raw materials produced, planted or refined in large quantities, and can also be called bulk materials. Bulk grains mainly include soybean, corn, wheat, flour, oil, feed, sugar and other raw materials. Due to insufficient output in Taiwan, soybeans, wheat and corn rely on imports. These three are also the largest imported agricultural products in China. In terms of China ’s import sources, soybeans and corn are mainly imported from the United States and Brazil, and wheat supplies are mainly from the United States and Australia. .
The price of agricultural products showed a decline in 2017, mainly because the weather was relatively mild, and the crop output of the major producing countries reached new highs, but the crop output in 2018 is expected to decline slightly from 2017, because the ideal weather for soybeans and cocoa will not Repeat, while wheat and corn are expected to decrease in acreage due to low prices and humid weather. The growth of the feed industry in mainland China will support the prices of wheat, corn and other cereals, and the demand for coffee and cocoa from tropical crops in Europe and the United States is very strong. Because China is currently the world's largest importer of soybeans, soybean imports in 2017-2018 are expected to reach 89 million tons. The overall market will be supported by Chinese import demand, and there will not be too many price drops. Corn is the most susceptible to the anti-holy child climatic factors. Therefore, in 2018, the global corn market will be mainly destocked, and wheat is also estimated to reach a new high due to bumper harvests around the world. The source of sugar is mostly sugar cane, and a small part comes from sugar beet. The main sugar producing countries in the world are Brazil, India, Thailand and China. In response to the policy of trade liberalization, China has reduced the production of sugar and products year by year. Directly imported sugar or imported raw materials are processed and refined, and its growth rate ranks first among imported agricultural products.
2017/18 global sugar production will reach 185 million tons, consumption will reach 174 million tons, both set new records, mainly due to the Brazilian sugar cane harvest, Brazil sugar production will increase by 500,000 tons to total output of 39.65 million tons, while annual exports It is estimated that it will increase by 1.3 million tons to the total export volume of 29.07 million tons; coupled with the rebound in production in India and Thailand, and China may begin to increase the sugar import tax, it is estimated that the global sugar market will be turned into an oversupply, global sugar supply It may exceed demand by 3.14 million metric tons, causing sugar prices to fall.
China's imported meat is mainly beef, followed by chicken and pork, and the main import sources are the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Domestic chicken and pork prices continued to rise in 2017, especially the domestic white broiler and local chicken prices have reached the ceiling price. Due to the low output, the government actively promotes the use of domestic agricultural and livestock products for school nutrition lunches Prices are up. In the past two years, due to the global cereal harvest, Huang Xiaoyu's bulk commodity prices have been relatively weak. The price of pigs and chickens is driven by strong demand, resulting in stronger prices, the price of pork is driven by low supply, and the price of white broilers is due to good market demand, and the government ’s policy of promoting the use of domestic chicken in school nutritious lunches. Higher, the demand for local chickens has also become larger due to the cooler climate, and the overall meat market is expected to flourish until 2018 before the Chinese calendar.
The global cereal production in 2017 exceeded 2.612 billion tons compared with 2016. Although the current problem of global cereal surplus is still present and prices are also suppressed due to the impact of inventories, with the impact of extreme weather storms in Europe and the United States in the second half of 2017, crop production It is estimated that there will be a slight decline, but overall, with the advancement of agricultural technology, global cereal production and inventory levels are expected to continue to hit new highs in 2018, and global cereal stocks will reach 720.5 billion tons, so cereal prices will reach Relatively stable.
2. Midstream:
The food processing industry in the middle of the food industry chain is responsible for processing raw materials into semi-finished products. Because it can usually be used as an additive to food, it is called processed food. The types of processed foods include soybean processed foods (such as tofu, bean curd), frozen meat processed foods, liquid syrup, and prepared foods.
In response to the endless domestic food safety issues, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has formulated a number of laws and regulations in recent years to announce that relevant businesses must comply, including "food addition property owners should register", newly added food additives must be clearly marked "food addition The word "things" means that all food manufacturing and processing industries, catering industry, import industry and sales industry must log in the company's basic information, products and business content, etc .; hand-adjusted beverages, coffee juices, etc. must be marked with caffeine content and sugar content And calories; food manufacturers on the market also need to set up laboratories and other quite regulations.
In response to school food safety issues, the "School Health Law" was stipulated, hoping that teachers and students in school can be nutritionally healthy; and foods containing more than 3% of the raw materials for base reform must be marked as "base modified food"; sugar content It must be clear; Furthermore, the "Food Industry Insurance Product Liability Insurance" is also amended to ensure that the food industry is responsible for the independent management of the foods it manufactures, processes, deploys, imports or entrusts to manufacture, processes, or mixes. There is more substantive protection. All relevant laws and regulations are set to prevent unscrupulous manufacturers' black heart, but also to allow consumers to eat at ease as the main axis.
In recent years, under the rise of consumer consciousness, the food processing industry has also faced new changes. Natural and organic food processing technology based on health demands has become the main research and development direction of food manufacturers. In addition to prolonging the shelf life of foods, the current development of food technology focuses more on the application of green technologies, reduces the damage to the environment with the simplest processing method, and brings food closer to its natural flavor and retains more nutrients. In addition, fruits and vegetables that use technological technologies such as ozone, ultraviolet-C irradiation, and ultrasonic treatment can reduce the loss of color, taste, texture, and nutrients during processing, while taking into account extended shelf life and food safety to create food The maximum value of processing.
3. Downstream:
The downstream of the food industry chain can be roughly divided into frozen, canned, dehydrated, pickled food, dairy products, nutritious food, etc. Frozen foods are edible after heating; canned foods are mostly eaten after opening; pickled foods are prepared by mixing ingredients through soy sauce, salt and other seasonings, and then processed by a machine or pickled for a period of time (such as pickled cucumber) , Tofu milk, peanut gluten, etc.); dehydrated foods are natural foods that are extracted from the water by precision instruments; dairy products are made from dairy products; nutritious foods can be used as supplements to the general diet and have the function of regulating the body , But not for the purpose of treating diseases.
At present, most domestic food processing is the processing of functional foods and health foods, or the processing of local agricultural products. In order to improve product quality and allow food to retain its natural taste, the food processing industry is moving towards health and environmental protection. With the trend of consumers pursuing food safety, convenience, health and economy, the future food processing process will also pursue environmental protection, Healthy, nutritious, less pollution, less processing and other goals.
The catering chain industry is also a downstream part of the food industry chain. Because the catering chain industry has the control of the central kitchen, it can maintain consistent catering quality, and because a large number of purchases can reduce the cost of food purchases, unified advertising promotion, reduce costs, and a whole set Know-How transfer of management, and by continuously expanding new bases and new catering brands, to find new business opportunities, expand different customer groups, and strengthen its market competitive advantage.
At present, there are more than 1.3 billion people on the mainland, and they are still very confident in Taiwan ’s food security. At present, Taiwanese businessmen are actively entering the Chinese market, with the most stable development and many opportunities to operate chain catering, and there are still new chain brands entering the mainland market. Mainland China also pays great attention to food safety issues. Taiwanese factories need to be cautious in managing food and a good brand image. This will be a huge and growing business opportunity.
At present, the government is actively promoting the food safety resume management system to control food safety for the people. The Ministry of Health and Welfare takes the risk management as the consideration and designates the "edible oil industry", "meat processed food industry", "dairy processed food industry" and "aquatic food industry ”,“ Lunch Box Food Industry ”,“ Food Additive Property ”,“ Genetically Modified Food Raw Material Industry ”,“ Genetically Modified Foods ”,“ Labeled Non-Genetically Modified Foods ”and other nine categories of food companies should establish food and related products Traceability tracking system.
In the past, domestically produced fresh pork was sold in traditional markets. To strengthen the market segmentation between domestic and imported pork products, the Council of Agriculture established the "Nationally Produced Fresh Pork Traceability Inquiry System" to allow consumers who care for the nationally produced fresh pork to purchase pork at the meat stall. , The signboard directly scans the QR code and enters the 8-code retrospective code, and the pig source farm, auction market and auction date will appear. Since 2017, half of the tens of thousands of meat stalls across the country will hang this signboard to ensure that seven The food safety of pork sold in traditional markets. In order to prevent avian influenza and salmonella, the FDA has formulated guidelines for the washing and selection of fresh eggs to provide reference for egg merchants and food manufacturers, transporters and sellers.
In order to strengthen the independent management system of the food industry, the Taiwan Excellent Food Development Association ensures the quality, safety and hygiene of processed foods, protects the common rights of consumers and manufacturers, and promotes the overall sound development of the food industry. Scheme (TQF verification scheme), strengthen source management, factory regulation data review, third-party verification mechanism, and tracking management at least twice a year. And entrust a fair and neutral institution to supervise the certification body, plan to join the "Global Food Safety Initiative" (GFSI) and integrate with the international certification system. The main purpose is to establish a food safety management system with global credibility and international recognition, so that people can feel more at ease when purchasing goods. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has established a "food information department counter" website to provide people with convenient channels for querying the government's open information, such as querying whether restaurants or food factories have registered food companies according to regulations, the role of food additives, and the amount of legal additions. And through the exhibition, through lively and interesting interactive methods, people can understand the food safety five rings and food-related regulations more easily, thereby improving food safety literacy and implementing it in daily life.
Currently, Taiwan is actively seeking to join the Japan-led "Trans-Pacific Comprehensive Progress Agreement" (CPTPPP). Therefore, the issue of Japan ’s nuclear food ban has once again attracted attention. At this stage, only Taiwan and mainland China have the most stringent regulations for banning the import of Japanese nuclear disaster food; The domestic opposition to the opening of Japan ’s nuclear food is quite loud, and the FDA has also initiated inspections to ensure that Japanese food imports comply with China ’s food hygiene and safety regulations, strictly implement border control measures, and inspect the internal and external packaging of products (including the contents and internal small packaging) Upload the content, origin and certificate information. In order to prevent passengers from bringing unverified products for sale on the Internet or through channels, the Food and Drug Administration announced the current food import regulations in the LED light box carousel in the arrival and departure halls of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of Taoyuan Airport to improve Imported food management in Japan. For all foods manufactured in Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Chiba Prefectures, products from five prefectures in Japan are not allowed to be imported. The industry should also implement its own management responsibilities and independently check the origin of the products.
Taiwan ’s expertise in information and communication technology can use this advantage in the food field, using technological technology and big data to improve the constraints of production conditions in order to respond to the impact of climate change; at present, if relevant domestic food companies can use technology as a backing to produce High-value-added food, leading the innovation of agricultural science and technology industry, will accelerate Taiwan's food industry research and development achievements towards commercialization, industrialization and internationalization.
