The revenue of China’s catering industry exceeded 4 trillion yuan in 2018 for the first time, Jiang Junxian, head of the China Cuisine Association, said at a conference held in Shanghai on Tuesday.

Data released by the association indicates that industry revenue reached 4.28 trillion yuan in 2018, accounting for 11.2 percent of the country’s total retail sales of consumer goods, up from 10.8 percent in 2017, and contributed over 20 percent to overall consumer market growth, up nearly 10 percent year-on-year.

The association also noted that the scale of the catering market in east China’s Shandong Province reached almost 400 billion yuan, surpassing southern Guangdong Province for the first time, ranking first nationwide.

Jiang pointed out that 2019 would witness significant changes in the catering industry, which has already undergone a digital transformation.

He also called for more smart technology to upgrade the catering industry, and ensure healthy and sustained development in the sector.