As society has advanced, we have become more industrialized and urbanized. One consequence is that life has become more rushed, more hectic; a slow, relaxing meal has become a luxury and "fast foods" have become all too common. In this "fast food society", processed foods have gradually become a housewife's best friend; canned foods, frozen foods, and T.V. dinners are now found in almost every kitchen.

The Chinese have been preserving foods for thousands of years but it was not until the turn of the century that commercially processed foods appeared in China. The first product was canned pineapple which was later followed by mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and other frozen, dried, and preserved foods. The quantity and types of processed foods has grown by leaps and bounds and Taiwan has gained a large share of the international market. Processing has, however, remained at a relatively simple and elementary level.

Over the last few years many new foreign competitors have sprung up and lower labor costs have made their products more competitive than Taiwan's. This has of course, resulted in a decreasing share of the market for the ROC's processed foods.

There are many reasons though, for remaining optimistic about the future development of Taiwan's processed foods industry. Taiwan abounds in raw materials, production levels remain high, there is a large work force, there is a tradition of culinary excellence, and there is the pre-existent machinery, equipment, and experience.

At the same time new products and markets are being opened there is still a lot that can be done to improve the competitiveness of old products. For example, strengthening the cooperation between farmers and producers, to insure consistent high quality raw materials; calling on farmers to improve the species they raise and their farming methods; automating production to lower costs and insure quality; improving workmanship to establish different brands' positions in the international marketplace.

The Bureau of Commodity Inspection and Quarantine has also beefed up its inspection procedures. Now spot checks at the port are more stringent and any products not up to standard are not permitted to be exported, in addition the producer's quota is reduced by one-third.

In trying to develop new markets and products industrialists expend much thought and energy. Still, because of their basic theoretical and research facility insufficiencies there are many problems which they cannot solve. In times like this they turn to the Food Processing Research Center located in Hsinchu. The center often tackles problems proposed by industrialists and also answers their many varied inquiries. Three years ago the research center began work on multi-step processed "Chinese foods". They have already come up with ten different dishes including "Chinese Fried Rice", "Pepper Beef", and "Ginseng Chicken".

Industrialists are now gearing up to make these higher priced, gourmet dishes. They are especially interested in developing a frozen Chinese food market. In the first place, more expensive foods bring in larger profits. In the second place, there is an already extant market for Chinese food the world over. There are at present 27 Chinese food processing plants in Taiwan and in the US there are over 20. The Acme Company has been exporting simple Chinese foods, such as egg rolls, for many years. In 1973 they exported US$4 million worth of food, by 1980 that total had climbed to US$13 million, a remarkable increase.

To help industrialists develop overseas markets the China External Trade Development Council (CETDC) has set up offices in 23 areas around the world gathering information about foreign markets. In addition every week they publish "Export Opportunities" and "Export Market" reporting on the latest developments in the different overseas markets and also reports on nations with good prospects for development or already existent markets. These publications are all distributed free of charge.

CETDC also works together with producers in participating in processed food shows. Last year 26 different companies took part in the "Far Eastern Processed Foods Exhibition" in Japan and as a result received US$1 million in new orders. This November fifteen companies will be traveling to Paris for a similar exhibition.

Actually, there is not only export potential for higher quality processed foods because the domestic market shows great possibilities also. As times have changed so have lifestyles; people have less time and less interest in spending a long time preparing meals. At the same time, as the economy has grown people have more money to spend on food. So although the price of processed foods is higher than fresh foods, the convenience more than makes up for it.

Currently because of the world-wide recession producers are facing hard times. This is precisely the time to "win by surprise". The Japanese also used basic processing industries to develop their industrial base. They however, put a lot of emphasis on research and development and have continually raised their quality and prices. Because of this the energy crises and the recession have had little impact on Japan.

The ROC is dependant on exports and when there are problems with exports then new ways should be devised to raise production levels. Agricultural exports are no different and now is the time to open a new road.

[Picture Caption]

Left: A wide variety of canned foods is now available. Right: Cookies and candy go together well with tea.

Right: A good breakfast can be made entirely from canned and other processed foods. Left: Now frozen foods can be found in almost every household.

Cookies and candy go together well with tea.

A good breakfast can be made entirely from canned and other processed foods.

Now frozen foods can be found in almost every household.