It’s been announced that Danish food company Tulip will begin meat exports to China, following Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s recent visit to the country.
Esben Lunde Larsen, Danish Minister for the Environment and Food, has signed an agreement with China that gives heat-treated products from Denmark access to the Chinese market.
Initially, exports of three categories will be possible. Sausages and salami/pepperoni from the factory in Svenstrup and canned products from the factory in Vejle can now be exported and sold to both the retail and foodservice sectors, which are seeing strong growth in China.
Kasper Lenbroch, CEO of Tulip Food Company, said: “China is a difficult, yet at the same time incredibly exciting market. We are obviously thrilled that the approval now appears to be in place.
“It is still too early to set specific targets for our exports, but it is clear that this approval offers very interesting perspectives. China is a vast country with huge potential, and the Chinese already consume more than half of the world’s pork. This is definitely a breakthrough for Danish exports.”
Access to the Chinese market ties in with Tulip’s and the Danish Crown Group’s strategy which, in addition to focusing on the domestic markets in northern Europe, includes plans for growth in Asia with its own factory in China as well as various global initiatives involving, for example, canned products and pepperoni.
Jais Valeur, Group CEO of Danish Crown, which is Tulip’s parent company, added: “It is of almost inestimable value for us that the Danish authorities – and in this case in particular the employees at the Danish embassy in Beijing – have, through their persistent efforts, ensured that Danish food businesses are once again right at the forefront when it comes to global market access.
“For the Danish Crown Group, it means that we now have the opportunity to test both the retail sector and the foodservice sector in the Chinese market before our investment in our own factory in Shanghai is ready.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
