Instant Alert: China has nearly 1.4 billion mouths to feed — here's how the country's food factories keep up

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   China has nearly 1.4 billion mouths to feed — here's how the country's food factories keep up by Sarah Jacobs on Jan 29, 2016, 12:47 PM Advertisement China's population has swelled to nearly 1.4 billion people. That's a lot of mouths to feed — China's food-processing industry had an estimated $2 trillion in revenues for 2014, and more than 35,000 processing and manufacturing plants churned out food products for the country's residents.  The food industry has been riddled with scandal, and many factories have been found to be breaking quality standards. More recently, Chinese civilians have become more "food savvy" and are looking for healthier options, taking cooking classes, and switching to white meat over red. However, food-manufacturing plants continue to operate, and with an estimated 13.22 million Chinese people living in urban areas, the demand for packaged food has skyrocketed. Ahead, 20 images that show just how massive some of these Chinese food plants are. SEE ALSO: 20 photos that show how insanely crowded China has become China's first computer-controlled greenhouse is located on the outskirts of Beijing and opened in 2010. Here, artificial lights are used to grow lettuce. The quality of China's shrimp has been reportedly inconsistent due to the use of chemicals when breeding. Here, workers peel shrimp inside a seafood factory in Rizhao, Shandong. Source In 2011, 1.35 million tonnes of edible oils, such as corn and soybean, were imported to China. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011