Amid the global trend towards healthy eating, frozen spinach, with its advantages of good nutrient retention and convenient consumption, has emerged as a "rising star" in agricultural product foreign trade. As the absolute mainstay of global spinach supply, China accounts for over 90% of the global supply. The export volume of frozen spinach remains stable at a high level all year round, with products being exported to multiple markets such as Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East, staging a global expedition for green leafy vegetables.
The diversification of global market demand has opened up vast opportunities for the foreign trade of frozen chopped spinach. The annual consumption in the European market reaches 4.6 million tons, with deep-processed spinach accounting for 45%, indicating a surge in demand for ready-to-eat and quick-frozen varieties. As traditional major markets, Japan and South Korea have seen China's exports of frozen chopped spinach to South Korea reach 4.27 million kilograms in 2024, firmly ranking first in export volume. The North American market has stringent requirements for organic and pesticide-free products, compelling enterprises to upgrade their quality control measures. Emerging markets also perform impressively, with demand in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand continuing to grow. frozen chopped spinach from Heze Dingtao District is sold in bulk in semi-finished form to this region, generating annual sales of eight million yuan.
Industrial upgrading and model innovation have become the core driving forces for improving the quality and efficiency of foreign trade in frozen chopped spinach. Enterprises have been promoting the construction of a full-chain traceability system, with the proportion of international agricultural product safety certification orders rising from 17% to 23%, and sales of organic label products increasing by 24% month-on-month. The empowerment of digital foreign trade platforms is particularly crucial. Through semi-managed services on platforms such as Alibaba.com, enterprises can rely on services such as intelligent order finding, cross-border payments, and compliance risk control, focusing on production and sales while significantly reducing operational thresholds. At the same time, product innovation continues to break through, with the emergence of high value-added products such as spinach noodles, ready-to-eat meal kits, and composite vegetable sets, driving the industry's transformation from "document-based export" to "brand going global".
Behind the opportunities, the foreign trade of frozen spinach balls also faces multiple challenges. Global trade barriers occur frequently, with Europe and the United States continuously raising the standards for pesticide residue testing. Rising labor and energy costs squeeze profit margins, and homogenization competition among small and medium-sized enterprises intensifies. To address these challenges, it is necessary to continuously strengthen technological investment, promote intelligent processing equipment, and enhance production efficiency; deeply cultivate niche markets, leverage the tariff reduction benefits of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to expand into Southeast Asian markets; and build a brand matrix to escape the dilemma of low-price competition.
Post time: Jan-23-2026
