Herbal tea production and sales exceed Coca-Cola

“The herbal tea market will be purified next. After all those who have not entered the list of intangible cultural heritage and have not been identified, they cannot be called herbal tea. They can only be called botanical drinks.” Yesterday, the fifth anniversary of the successful herbal tea certification and herbal tea At the Summit on Culture and Industry Development, Zhang Junxiu, chairman of the Guangdong Food Industry Association, said.

Yesterday, a number of representatives of domestic herbal tea companies and experts and scholars gathered in Beijing to discuss the future development of the herbal tea industry. The reporter learned from the summit that in the past five years, China’s herbal tea industry has grown at a rate that has doubled, and as of last year, the herbal tea beverage industry has reached 25 million tons, surpassing Coca-Cola’s global sales.

It is understood that the typical representative of Lingnan culture herbal tea was successfully selected as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Among the many intangible cultural heritages selected for domestic use, herbal tea is highly integrated in history and culture with the economic industry, and this Chinese health culture is spread to countries such as the United States, Canada, Southeast Asia, and Africa with the help of herbal tea carriers.

“In 2005, there was less than 1 million tons of domestic herbal tea beverages and there was no place in economic statistics. In 2006, the herbal tea was successfully developed and the herbal tea beverage was doubled in speed. In 2010, the herbal tea beverage industry reached 25 million tons, which surpassed global sales of Coca-Cola. The reporter was informed that herbal tea, as the core of intangible cultural heritage, is the formula and special terminology of its brands that support herbal tea. In order to maintain the healthy development of herbal tea, the relevant department has specially designed a protection system: First, the inheritance of herbal tea recipes and terminology. Strict and specific rules have been formulated, and companies must not trade secret agents. Any transactions involving secret agents must be reported and approved. The second is to formulate measures to ensure product quality, and the third is to establish planting bases for herbal tea plant materials. "These protection systems also made a commitment to the State Council under the name of the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao government cultural departments."

The reporter learned yesterday that so far, Guangdong's herbal tea companies have been included in the list of intangible cultural heritage, a total of 51, in recent years, the annual growth rate of Guangdong herbal tea continues to maintain 30%. According to Zhang Junxiu, chairman of the Guangdong Food Industry Association, to ensure the healthy development of the herbal tea industry, relevant departments may consider establishing a unified safety standard for production of herbal tea. In addition, "the market will also be further purified. Anything that has not been included in the list of non-legal teas cannot be called 'herbal tea' and can only be called a botanical drink."