Group meal order employees pack meals for delivery. [Photo/WeChat account: xiamen_swj]

Xiamen Catering Industry and Supply Chain Association was officially formed on May 16, with 162 companies including group meal companies and food ingredients suppliers as the first batch of association members.

The association is expected to boost service, create the industrial chain, and innovate the supply chain for the high-quality development of the catering industry, according to Chen Yuejin, deputy director of Xiamen municipal bureau of commerce.

The association is also expected to link the government with the group meal companies and strengthen the connection and coordination between them, Chen said.

In addition, the association will contribute to other aspects within the industry such as catering industry standards, fair competition, regulation and management, communication and cooperation, and the protection of consumers' rights, Chen added.

In recent years, Xiamen has seen a vigorous development in the group meal sector. Among 293 catering companies above designated size, 62 are group meal companies, which account for 21.2 percent of the total.

Three group meal companies earned over 100 million yuan ($14.98 million) in annual operation revenue in 2021, joining a group of Xiamen catering companies with annual revenues of over 100 million yuan.