The China Cuisine Association Hotpot Committee, which celebrated 10th anniversary of, in Beijing, Nov 16 - 17, was founded in the city of Baotou, Inner Mongolia in 2005, so this was an occasion to review the past decade

In reminiscing, Tang Yangshun, deputy head of the association, said that Inner Mongolia, especially the Xilingol Grassland, has helped nurture leading hotpot brands and good food and that all of China’s leading hotpot chains, such as Haidilao and Little Sheep all have their meat sources in Inner Mongolia.

The ceremony singled out Xilingol mutton for its hotpot quality and Xilingol sheep are known for their natural, pollution-free character, thanks to the conditions on the Xilingol Grassland.

To protect and improve the “Xilingol mutton” brand, the Xilingol League has spent over 200 million yuan ($31.3 million) on a traceability system for the whole mutton industry chain, since 2013 and it is the only pilot project of its kind with Ministry of Industry and Information Technology backing. It has operated smoothly now and can trace every sheep from the sheepfold to dining table through its coding.

The committee’s ceremony ran simultaneously with the 10th China Hotpot Industry Conference.