Chongqing - The Spring Festival, a time for the traditional reunion feast and a key part of Chinese New Year celebrations, is witnessing a transformative trend. Prefabricated dishes are making a quiet yet impactful entry, slowly becoming a mainstay at festive gatherings.

Discussions on social media about choosing prefabricated dishes for New Year feasts and the notable preference among young consumers have become hot topics. Surveys now list prefabricated feasts among the top ten New Year gift box choices for Chinese consumers, marking a significant shift in festive dining preferences.

Prefabricated dishes emerge as the new favorite on dining tables. (Photo/cqnews.net)

Younger generations opt for prefabricated dishes in the kitchen

Today, the post-95 and post-00 generations are reshaping household consumption, increasingly influencing the selection and preparation of New Year goods. This shift has significantly contributed to the growing popularity of prefabricated feast options.

Hu Mei, a Chongqing girl of the post-95 generation, has recently assumed responsibility for preparing the New Year feast, a task previously managed by her mother. She highlights the dual priorities of convenience and health in contemporary celebrations, crediting prefabricated dishes as her go-to solution.

This year, she opted for an online purchase of a prefabricated feast package designed for 5-6 people, which included an assortment of six cold dishes, eight hot dishes, and two desserts. This selection enabled her to prepare a comprehensive feast on New Year’s Eve, epitomizing convenience.

The demand for prefabricated New Year dishes has soared, with remarkable sales reported on e-commerce platforms like Taobao and JD.com, as well as through brick-and-mortar giants such as Freshippo and Walmart. These outlets have successfully catered to a wide range of tastes, offering an array of prefabricated New Year dishes and achieving impressive sales.

The trend towards prefabricated feasts reflects a surge in consumer demand, appealing to both the younger generation’s quest for convenience and the older generation’s fondness for traditional tastes. This harmony between generations enhances familial bonds and simplifies celebration preparations.

Ms. Zhang, contemplating New Year feast alternatives with her boyfriend, found a box of king crab legs for 269 yuan to be a cost-effective choice. She remarked, “With just a few simple steps, we can enjoy a luxurious meal. It’s perfect for us!” Prefabricated dishes successfully bridge the gap between traditional expectations and modern living, ensuring both unity and ease during the festivities.

The Freshippo store is filled with an array of prefabricated New Year’s Eve dishes. (Photo/Zhou Ying)

China’s prefabricated dish market soars to 1.07 trillion yuan 

At the core of this trend is a dynamic manufacturing landscape, where producers are increasing their output to cater to the skyrocketing demand. Factories are in constant operation, producing prefabricated dishes around the clock to satisfy both local and national orders. For example, in Liangping district, the Chongqing Shangkoujia Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. is a beehive of activity. Its production lines are alive with the sound of automated machinery processing, packaging, and shipping prefabricated dishes across China.

Liangping stands as a pivotal center for the production of prefabricated dishes within Chongqing, home to a robust industrial ecosystem. This district is teeming with hundreds of companies that fuel economic advancement, drawing orders from every corner of the country and highlighting the national allure of Chongqing’s culinary innovations.

The escalating demand for prefabricated feasts reflects a shift in consumer habits, emphasizing the importance of convenience and diversity. Wang Qiaoling, the Secretary-General of the Chongqing Retailers Association, sheds light on the fundamental appeal of these dishes: their ease of preparation. She observes that in the contemporary world’s hustle and bustle, people prefer to step away from time-consuming kitchen tasks, opting instead for more moments with loved ones. Prefabricated dishes offer a promising avenue for growth, aligning perfectly with the changing preferences of today’s lifestyles.

Looking ahead, iiMedia Research anticipates the market for China’s prefabricated dishes to break through the one trillion yuan barrier by 2026, achieving a milestone of 1.07 trillion yuan ($148.74 billion), a testament to the burgeoning sector’s potential and its resonance with modern consumer trends.