According to the research on the topic "Distribution and Development Trend of Overseas Chinese" by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, there are more than 50 million overseas Chinese and foreign Chinese all over the world, covering more than 130 countries around the world. With the increase in the number of Chinese around the world, Jiaxing Zongzi, a traditional brand food with China’s historical and cultural accumulation, is increasingly going to tables around the world and exported to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Zongzi is a special export food in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, and its export volume has increased steadily year by year in recent years. In the first half of 2015, Jiaxing exported 17 batches, 129 tons and 549,000 US dollars of various zongzi products, with the batch, weight and value increasing by 54.5%, 50.0% and 65.4% respectively.
Due to the influence of export transportation and other factors, it is the time for foreign importers to actively stock up, and it is also the peak season for Jiaxing zongzi export. Jiaxing Zongzi export has the following characteristics:
First, the export volume of products is increasing year by year. According to statistics, in 2012, Jiaxing exported 37 batches, 1.489 tons and 541,000 USD, in 2013, 37 batches, 1.70 tons and 737,000 USD, in 2014, 25 batches, 1.65.7 tons and 707,000 USD, and maintained a good growth trend in the first five months of 2015.
Second, the variety of products is becoming increasingly rich and diverse. Jiaxing exported zongzi mainly with traditional bean paste and fresh meat. After that, with the promotion of leading enterprises, it successfully launched new products such as sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice dumplings, chestnut fresh meat dumplings, candied dates mung bean dumplings, peanut lotus seed dumplings and so on. At the same time, according to the export region, it customized the taste of the products, and launched special products such as Taiwan Province flavor dumplings, coconut eight treasures dumplings, Nanhu Lingfeng meat dumplings and Jiangnan secret peanut dumplings to win more markets. Wufangzhai Industrial Co., Ltd., a leading enterprise, launched chocolate brown dumplings, children’s nutrition dumplings and fermented bean curd dumplings in 2013, and developed beef fillet dumplings with abalone sauce and beef brisket dumplings with tomato sauce in 2014, and the market response was very good.
Third, the unit price and added value of zongzi have increased. Take Wufangzhai Supreme Gift Box, which contains 300 grams of Guangdong Zongzi, 100 grams of black glutinous rice fresh meat Zongzi, 100 grams of chestnut fresh meat Zongzi, 100 grams of grain Zongzi and 100 grams of sweet-scented osmanthus red bean paste Zongzi, as an example. The export price of the gift box is 5.5 US dollars per box, and it is exported in the form of non-gift box. The export price of five zongzi is about 4.5 US dollars per box, and the price of the gift box has risen by 18%. In addition, the new variety of rice dumplings exported to Hong Kong is more expensive than the traditional variety because of its novel taste, complicated raw material procurement and higher price. The price of 300 grams of quick-frozen rice dumplings exported to the United States and Canada has been raised by 5%.
Fourth, enterprises should increase investment in equipment renewal and technological innovation. It is understood that Wufangzhai Industrial Co., Ltd. invests not less than 10 million yuan in scientific and technological innovation and equipment renewal every year. Recently, it has invested 5 million yuan to purchase sterilizers to ensure product quality and safety, nearly 10 million yuan in the construction of enterprise laboratories and the improvement and renewal of testing equipment, and more than 2 million yuan in the analysis and research of market, nutrition and taste collocation.
The export of zongzi is not only a kind of food export, but also a kind of spread of China food culture. Jiaxing Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has ensured the export quality and safety of zongzi in its jurisdiction through a number of strict measures from the aspects of raw material control, product quality control and policy support and guidance.
Strict product source management ensures the quality and safety of raw materials. Food quality control should start with the prevention and control of raw materials. Jiaxing Bureau manages from the source, and requires enterprises to obtain certificates for each batch of rice, beans and other raw materials needed for making zongzi. Especially for meat raw materials, it is required that they must be processed and purchased in the slaughterhouse filed by CIQ, and can only be put into storage after a number of tests such as clenbuterol. At the same time, it requires enterprises to establish detailed storage records and organize regular inspections.
Strict quality system management to ensure product quality control. Jiaxing Bureau actively helps enterprises to improve the quality control system, revise and improve the food safety control system such as ISO22000, and improve the management level of enterprises. In addition, because zongzi is a purely handmade food, Jiaxing Bureau has strengthened the training of enterprise employees, especially for hand hygiene, and organized regular inspections to ensure that zongzi is produced in strict accordance with specifications and the quality of the production process is controllable.
Strict sampling inspection management to ensure product quality and safety. Because countries all over the world have different requirements for imported food, Jiaxing Bureau conducts sampling inspection on all kinds of zongzi exported from its jurisdiction in strict accordance with the requirements of importing countries, so as to ensure that the safety and hygiene items of zongzi are qualified and make overseas Chinese feel at ease. Jiaxing Branch of Zhejiang Institute of Inspection and Quarantine undertakes the main work of testing the samples of rice dumplings exported from Jiaxing, and only after ensuring that the rice dumplings do not contain stimulants such as clenbuterol and ractopamine, and antibiotics such as nitrofurans and chloramphenicol, and that the microbial indicators such as the total number of bacteria, pathogenic bacteria and pesticide residue indicators such as dichlorvos and methamidophos are qualified can they be exported.
In addition, the inspection and quarantine institutions also remind consumers at home and abroad that when mailing zongzi, they must pay attention to the fact that some varieties of zongzi contain meat components, which may lead to the spread of bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease and other quarantine diseases, and that the zongzi carried and mailed are prone to deterioration after a long journey. At present, it is forbidden to bring (mail) all kinds of zongzi into Chinese mainland: 23 countries and regions such as Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Qatar, Hungary, Belgium, Russia, Congo, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Czech Republic, Philippines, Estonia, Switzerland, Myanmar, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan, China. It is forbidden to bring (mail) Chinese mainland Zongzi containing meat stuffing and egg yolk into the country: Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States, Canada and Japan. (China Network Zhao Chunxiao)