The 2023 Food Taipei exhibition opened at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center on June 14, and the Council of Agriculture (COA) invited 79 outstanding agriproduct and food enterprises to organize the “Taiwan Pavilion” (located in area S on the fourth floor of the Exhibition Hall 2), for which an opening ceremony was held that day. This year the theme of the Taiwan Pavilion was “Farm to Table • Secret of Temperature” Starting from Taiwan’s abundant agriproduct resources and following Taiwan’s diverse culinary culture, through “exclusive temperature control” the Pavilion conveyed the delicious taste and aesthetic values of Taiwan cuisine. It featured the transformation of agriproducts into delicacies that are integrated into modern daily life. At the venue, besides introducing and promoting the diverse and abundant premium quality domestically produced agriproducts and processed agriproducts on display, there was also a themed area called “Secret of Temperature.” It demonstrated how precision temperature controls are used to keep domestic agriproducts and foods fresh and high in quality and increase their value-added. International and domestic professional buyers and consumers were welcomed to attend this four-day event which lasted from June 14 through 17.

The COA points out that this year’s Taiwan Pavilion had five themed areas, including the “Exquisite Agricultural Products Area,” the “Livestock And Poultry Products Area,” the “Prepared Foods Area,” the “Seafood Products Area,” and the “Rural Good Products Area.” Each featured a variety of fresh farm, fisheries, and animal husbandry food ingredients shipped directly from production areas, creative snacks produced through primary processing, deliciously prepared food, and refined agricultural gift and souvenir items produced by the 79 outstanding agriproduct enterprises participating in the expo. For the opening ceremony master chefs from Le Cordon Bleu School of the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism were invited to attend and use Taiwan premium grouper to make creative dishes and together promote Taiwan’s delicious food products to an international audience. The “Seafood Products Area” featured 12 companies with outstanding export performance or potential. The COA says that in response to China’s unilateral suspension of imports of grouper from Taiwan, an action which violated international norms, besides encouraging citizens to consume more premium domestically produced seafood, the COA is also proactively guiding fishermen to develop multiple marketing channels and diversify their export markets.

The COA further explains that the special themed area “Secret of Temperature” of the Taiwan Pavilion displayed the temperature control process that major export products (including pineapple, atemoya, mangoes, pork, and fisheries products) go through in the production process. The area also explained to buyers and consumers the important role played by cold chains in the production of premium agricultural products by the agricultural system as well as the diverse product forms developed through the use of processing technology. The use of precision temperature control technology supports comprehensive upgrading of the quality of Taiwan agriculture and supplies the freshest and highest quality agriproducts from production areas in Taiwan to international dining tables. In recent years the COA has accelerated the simultaneous establishment of flagship logistics centers and regional logistics centers for the farm, fisheries, and animal husbandry industries, upgraded cold chain equipment in large-scale wholesale markets, assisted agribusinesses and farmers’ organizations to install cold chain storage and transport facilities in production areas, guided food vendors in traditional markets to install temperature control equipment, and endeavored to enhance the quality and safety of agriproducts and alter their sales environments. The goal is to maintain the competitiveness of agriproducts under conditions of a rapidly changing international market and expand the supply of Taiwan agriproducts with highly stable quality to the international market. We also invited Taiwanese citizens to visit Food Taipei on its last day, when it was opened to the public, to discover the expertise and value of temperature control during the production process for these products and brands and to get a feeling for the appeal of Taiwan agriproducts.