/PRZWT/ As the 2026 Lunar New Year approaches, a report titled "Retail Trends and Stock Preparation Strategies for the 2026 Lunar New Year Spring Festival" released by Nielsen IQ recently indicates that consumers' demands for the quality, health, and safety of ingredients for the New Year's family feast are becoming increasingly prominent.
In this context, Metro relies on its nationwide direct-sourcing supply chain to deeply penetrate 15 core production areas across the country, including Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Northeast China, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It carefully selects seasonal fresh produce and local characteristic New Year goods, and integrates its unique "Mizuda" traceability system to build a quality closed-loop from the source to the table, creating an assured and authentic New Year "search for freshness" journey for consumers nationwide. At the same time, Metro's own brand "Mai Zhenxuan" has performed outstandingly. Since the launch of the New Year goods festival, the sales share of "Mai Zhenxuan" products has reached nearly 20%, fully demonstrating consumers' recognition of its quality and flavor.
McDonald's showcases the diverse regional flavors across the country, while its high-quality fresh produce leads the way in the annual shopping season.
From the cattle, sheep, fruits and vegetables in the northwest Gobi Desert, to the grains, rice, wild game and premium products in the black soil region of the northeast, and then to the mushrooms, fresh fruits and seasonal seafood in the southwest, and the local seafood in the southeast coast... The Christmas shopping festival of Metro has drawn a vivid "map of seeking freshness", allowing people to purchase all the local New Year flavors in one stop without leaving their city. It is known that since the launch of the Christmas shopping festival, the sales of fruits have doubled compared to the same period last year, the sales of aquatic products have increased by 20% compared to the same period last year, and the sales of beef and mutton have increased by 13%. Consumers' pursuit of ingredients has upgraded from the intuitive feeling of "surface freshness" to the emphasis on "specific origin" and "quality certification".
The dairy products and meat products from the northwest region are known for their rich flavors. The own-brand "Mai Zhenxuan" organic pure milk, with its high protein content and pure original flavor from the pastures in the Tian Shan glacier area, has become a preferred choice for many families for their nutritious and delicious meals. The snow mountain beef from the Snow Mountain Valley, nurtured by snow water and high-quality grass, meets the demands of citizens for high-quality taste in their family feasts during the Spring Festival. Mr. Chen, a citizen, said: "When making stewed meat, we want a good flavor that everyone in the family can enjoy. The quality also needs to be fresh and reliable. The beef here looks good in terms of quality, and the origin is clearly stated."
The seasonal fruit section showcases the fresh flavors of both the northeast and the southwest, making it the top choice for consumers to stock up on fresh fruits – the Red Beauty strawberries from Dandong, Liaoning Province are large, plump and juicy, making them the "beauty standards" for festive gift boxes; the Pera pears from the core production area of the Sichuan Basin are sweet and juicy, and are also the star items in many citizens' family banquets; there are also regional representative fruits such as the mountain blueberries from Yunnan, the Ganzhou tangerines from southern Jiangxi, the apples from Aksu in Xinjiang, and the Jinhua ham from Zhejiang, together forming a rich year-end product lineup at Metro.
"Meizhida" traceability system ensures a safe and clear dining experience for your reunion dinner.
Quality seasonal goods, safety comes first. While integrating the flavors from all over the country, how can we ensure the freshness and safety of every bite? Metro's answer lies in its unique "Mizuda" full-process traceability system.
As a food traceability solution that has been deeply developed for over a decade, MCIATA has cumulatively developed over 6,000 traceable products. During the Year-End Shopping Festival, when consumers purchase popular products such as MCIATA's selected Wuchang rice, raw eggs, beef and black pig series meats with the "MCIATA" logo, they only need to scan the traceability QR code on the packaging with their mobile phones to view the entire information including the breeding farm, growth environment, processing standards, logistics trajectory and quality inspection report.
Not long ago, Metro jointly launched the "Food Safety Initiative for the Year of the Horse Spring Festival" with the National Animal Health and Food Safety Innovation Alliance. Experts from the alliance pointed out: "The traceability system is the cornerstone of modern food safety governance. Metro has provided technical support for the health and safety of the family dining table during the Spring Festival through the 'Mizuda' system."
Online and offline collaboration to "discover new flavors", bringing back the traditional festive atmosphere with fresh new charm
In addition to over 1,600 New Year goods available in offline stores and online platforms, Metro also extends the fun of "seeking freshness" to social media platforms. It is known that Metro has jointly launched the "Seeking Freshness Challenge" charity activity with One Foundation. From now until February 23rd, every valid sharing by users with the topic #Metro Seeking Freshness Challenge# will directly be converted into a book donated to rural children, making each consumer's "seeking freshness" moment become a tiny ray of light that ignites children's curiosity.
Meanwhile, to deepen the theme of this "National Search for Freshness", Metro not only introduced local specialty ingredients, but also collaborated deeply with well-known traditional brands such as Liubiezi, Panpan, and Da Baiwu, which carry national memories in various regions. They launched the "Search for the Yearly Puzzle" activity, distributing joint gift packages in the form of gifts, bringing together the year-round flavors of various brands, and integrating the new year's festive memories of young customers into the process of purchasing New Year goods.
A relevant official from Metro said, "We chose the theme of 'Seeking Freshness' for the New Year Shopping Festival, hoping to enable consumers to find reliable sources and quality products, meeting their expectations for authentic flavors and health and safety." From January 21st to February 17th, Metro will also launch activities such as offering coupon packages for paid members who spend 288 yuan or more in their official App, WeChat mini-program, and offline stores, making high-quality ingredients more cost-effective.
From the fields and farms to the dining tables, the origin information of many fresh products can be scanned and obtained. The 2026 Christmas Shopping Festival of Metro not only gathers regional flavors across the country, but also deeply fulfills Metro's consistent commitment to quality of life and food safety, allowing consumers to start a wonderful new year with freshness and reunion.
