ShanghaiJune 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 10, the 2026 Food Industry Green Energy-Saving Forum, themed “Green Manufacturing • Breaking Energy Efficiency Boundaries,” was held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The forum was hosted by Shanghai Horex Exhibition Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Hangzhou Dingshi Technology Co., Ltd., Safe Food News, and Food Exhibition Network. Keynote speakers included Chen Junjiang, General Director of the R&D Center of Want Want Group; Liu Daxue, Consultant of Panpan Food Group; Chen Wei, Marketing Director of Fujian Snowman Group Co., Ltd.; Zhu Wei, Product Director of the Planning Division of Zhejiang Public Information Industry Co., Ltd.; and Tang Xiaoliang, Technical Director of Meirui Environmental Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. They delivered in-depth insights on core topics such as energy-saving retrofitting of food factories, optimization of cooling and heating systems, zero-carbon practices, and smart factory planning, attracting numerous professionals from the food industry.
Energy Saving Is Not an Option, It’s a Matter of Survival
In his opening address, Chen Yibi, Editor-in-Chief of Safe Food News, pointed out that the food industry, as a typical energy-intensive sector, faces continuously rising energy costs in areas such as steam, cooling, and water usage, along with tightening carbon emission regulations. “Energy saving” has shifted from a bonus to a mandatory requirement for business survival.
Five Speeches: From Strategic Design to Technical Implementation
Liu Daxue, an energy-saving consultant for Panpan Food Group and VV Group, delivered a speech titled “Food Engineering – Energy-Saving Retrofitting Solutions: Design Strategy and System Innovation.” He proposed a core viewpoint: the first step in energy-saving retrofitting is not purchasing equipment, but redesigning the entire energy system. He emphasized that system thinking outweighs point-by-point replacement, and top-level design determines the success or failure of the retrofit.
Chen Wei, Marketing Director of Fujian Snowman Group, shared insights on “Co-source of Cooling and Heating: Green Cooling and Heating Solutions in Food Processing.” Food factories have long faced the dilemma of “heat and cold operating independently” — steam sterilization requires substantial heat energy, while cold chain preservation demands significant cooling energy, with both systems consuming resources separately. Chen Wei introduced that co-source cooling and heating technology can simultaneously output heat and cold from the same energy source, effectively reducing overall energy consumption and opening new avenues for energy savings in food factories.
Zhu Wei, Product Director of the Planning Division of Zhejiang Public Information Industry Co., Ltd., presented on “Green Smart Factory Planning and Design.” He noted that if planning is done well, energy savings follow naturally; if planning is poor, everything else becomes a patchwork. Smart factory construction should not focus solely on technical parameters but also on the feasibility of implementation and system compatibility.
Chen Junjiang, General Director of the R&D Center of Want Want Group, shared the company’s journey in “Exploration and Practice of Zero-Carbon Path in Want Want Factories.” He candidly stated that zero carbon is not just a PowerPoint slide but a path forged step by step, with practical challenges in areas such as process constraints, supply chain support, and data infrastructure.
Finally, Tang Xiaoliang, Technical Director of Meirui Environmental Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., presented “High-Temperature Heat Pumps Empowering the Food Industry: Waste Heat Recovery and Energy-Saving Carbon Reduction Solutions.” He pointed out that in food factories, substantial waste heat from sterilization hot water, compressor heat dissipation, and drying exhaust was largely wasted in the past. High-temperature heat pump technology is now converting this “waste heat” into new energy sources, and once the economic calculations add up, it translates directly into pure profit.
Roundtable Discussion: Implementation Is the Real Challenge
In the second half of the forum, a roundtable discussion was held, featuring four panelists: Chen Junjiang, Liu Daxue, Zhu Wei, and Chen Wei. They engaged in dialogue on four topics: “How to Calculate the Economic Benefits of Energy-Saving Retrofits,” “Can Cooling and Heating Systems Replace Traditional Solutions,” “What Pitfalls Were Encountered in Moving Zero Carbon from PPT to Production Lines,” and “Why Does Smart Factory Implementation Often Deviate from Expectations.” The panelists unanimously agreed that the food industry never lacks solutions; what it lacks is the path and determination to implement them.
This forum, themed “Green Manufacturing, Breaking Energy Efficiency Boundaries,” provided food enterprises with reference paths and ideas for energy-saving transformation from three dimensions: strategy, technology, and practice.
