A brief panorama of the packaging industry in 2026

In order to further advance the special campaign on online catering food safety and continuously consolidate the results of governance, the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation has adhered to a problem-oriented approach, made simultaneous efforts online and offline, strictly investigated food safety risks and hidden dangers, and cracked down on illegal and non-compliant acts such as "ghost takeaways" and false advertising, resolutely safeguarding the safety of the food on the people's plates. The sixth batch of typical cases is hereby released as follows, in the hope that the majority of online catering operators will take these cases as a warning, learn from the examples, earnestly fulfill their primary responsibility for food safety, and jointly

1. Takeout packaging "slims down," letting the right packaging "carry" the right food "No more tearing plastic wrap by hand!" Since the semester began, Jiao Ke, a student at a university in Beijing, and his roommates have found that the takeout they usually order has changed dramatically in its packaging! "In the past, the plastic wrap was wound three times one way and three times the other—you'd be left doubting life itself before you got it open! Now the packaging is clean and neat; just lift the lid and enjoy the food," he said outright. For some time now, excessive packaging with "big boxes for small meals and layer upon layer added" has become excessive

Buns in bags, soup noodles in sealed boxes, barbecue wrapped in aluminum foil... How can takeout packaging be both environmentally friendly and practical? Beijing has given a new answer. Recently, the Municipal Market Regulation Bureau released the local standard "Guidelines for the Use of Green Packaging by Food Delivery Merchants," which is scheduled to be officially implemented from September 1. This document, known in the industry as the takeout "slimming" standard, provides food delivery merchants with a clear operating manual, covering everything from packaging materials and usage specifications to classification methods. What is "green pack

Foodmate Network, September 2026 — The General Administration of Customs reported that in August 2026, customs authorities nationwide detected 755 batches of food that failed quality and safety items and were refused entry during supervision at the port-of-entry stage. The refused food came from 42 countries or regions and involved 22 product categories, mainly aquatic products and their products, meat and meat products, sugar confectionery and chocolate, cocoa and its products, etc. The main non-compliance item was illegal use of sodium metabisulfite