The company is planning to set up a production base in northern China, but no specific city has yet been shortlisted. Shanghai-based Ecolab China is planning to expand its food…

The company is planning to set up a production base in northern China, but no specific city has yet been shortlisted.

Shanghai-based Ecolab China is planning to expand its food safety business from southern China to the northern part of the country as consumption gets upgraded nationwide, presenting new opportunities.

Wang Tie, executive vice-president of Ecolab Inc, the US-based parent of Ecolab China and a water, hygiene, energy technologies and services provider stated that the country’s stress on environmental protection and demand for clean energy also brought opportunities for the expansion of Ecolab’s China business.

The company is planning to set up a production base in northern China, but no specific city has yet been shortlisted.

Ecolab’s technology platform can monitor every procedure of food and beverage production, control the amount of cleaning water and measure the cleaning effect. Collection of such data can help improve efficiency, reduce the cost of energy and water for different companies, he added.

Ecolab’s local unit was set up in 1975. It’s cleaning and disinfection methods have been used in most of the five-star restaurants and more than 80 percent of food brands, including McDonald’s, KFC and Starbucks in China, Wang said.

The past two years saw double-digit growth in the food safety business in China, he said. And the company’s global sales reached $13 billion in 2016.