Chongqing has passed China's first local regulation dedicated to the hotpot industry. The “Chongqing Hotpot Industry Development Promotion Ordinance” will take effect on May 1.
Official media outlet Economic Daily reported on the 6th that this move aims to tackle the problem of the industry being “large but not strong.”
Recently, the 22nd meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress voted to adopt the “Chongqing Hotpot Industry Development Promotion Ordinance.”
The ordinance explicitly defines “Chongqing hotpot” as: “Originating in Chongqing, made by using unique techniques to stir-fry, boil, and season the base, characterized by a numbing and spicy yet fresh and aromatic flavor, and showcasing the culinary customs of Bayu food culture.”
Reports indicate that, currently, the total output value of the whole Chongqing hotpot industry chain has exceeded 340 billion RMB, but it still faces issues such as insufficient leadership from top enterprises, incomplete supply chain systems, and a lack of standardization. This legislation emphasizes an integrated industry chain approach, covering raw material supply, production and processing, cold chain logistics, and market sales. It also seeks to establish industry standards, brands, and an ecosystem to turn individual competitive advantages into overall competitiveness, driving the hotpot industry from “spontaneous growth” to standardized guidance, and progressing from scale expansion to quality and efficiency improvement.
The report analyzes that as the development of specialty industries reaches a bottleneck, localities are gradually shifting from relying on resources and policy incentives to strengthening competitiveness through institutional development. Besides Chongqing, places like Jiangsu and Zhejiang are also exploring ways to promote industry development through legislation. Using laws to clearly define industry position, integrate resources, regulate the market, and institutionalize support policies has become an important means for localities to enhance economic competitiveness.