China must improve its cool supply chain to keep pace with demand for fresh food

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China’s fast-expanding middle-class population has an increasing appetite for high-quality fresh food.

Exporters of products from salmon to fresh fruit are stepping up to the plate and developing new routes to market – but poor standards and fragmented structures are causing significant waste in the perishable supply chain.

Clement Lam, director and general manager of Swire Pacific cold storage, said the Chinese middle-class had doubled in number to 300m since 2000, and their disposable income would double from today’s level by 2020. ...