In October 2025, a significant piece of news reverberated through China's food-grade silica industry — Zhongqi (Guangdong) Silicon Materials Co., Ltd. passed Nestlé's on-site audit, officially becoming its certified supplier and gaining approval to serve three core scenarios: pet food, food wet mixing, and food dry mixing. This marks a milestone in Zhongqi's development journey and breaks the stereotype that "domestic food-grade silica lags behind imported counterparts", setting a new benchmark for China's high-end food-grade silica industry.

Zhongqi's entry into the supply chain of Nestlé, a global food giant, is attributed to its all-dimensional solid strength. In terms of compliance certifications, Zhongqi holds a "full-stack pass". It not only possesses core food industry certifications such as ISO9001, ISO22000, and FSSC22000 but also has HALAL (Islamic dietary certification) and Kosher certifications. Specifically for the pet food sector, it has obtained the FAMI-QS global standard certification. From raw material purity and heavy metal residues to microbial indicators, Zhongqi achieves zero safety risks, fully meeting the strict requirements of Nestlé's global procurement. In terms of production and technology, since its establishment in 2011, Zhongqi has continuously accumulated technical experience and built a production line with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons. Its production workshops are strictly constructed in accordance with GMP standards, adopting radar-sensing automatic doors for material entry and exit as well as fully enclosed air purification management. This effectively prevents dust pollution and foreign matter contamination, laying a solid foundation for the stable production of "Nestlé-grade" silica.

From audit to approval, Zhongqi's efficient response and precise adaptation further confirm its competitiveness. During Nestlé's initial on-site audit, Zhongqi addressed workshop risk points in just three months by adding MD quality control equipment and optimizing the FB inspection process. This demonstrated its agile quality management system and enabled it to successfully pass the follow-up audit. In response to Nestlé's product requirements, Zhongqi even customized solutions — by optimizing the particle size and specific surface area of silica, it not only solved the caking issue of food wet-mixed and dry-mixed products and improved product flowability but also ensured no impact on food taste. This precise adaptation helped Zhongqi stand out in Nestlé's supplier evaluation.

Becoming a Nestlé supplier has brought multiple development dividends to Zhongqi. In terms of market expansion, Nestlé's certification serves as a "quality endorsement", significantly enhancing Zhongqi's global reputation. The recognition of its products in markets such as the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia has increased substantially, helping the company expand its export share in the global food additive market. Cooperative orders have also grown accordingly, and Zhongqi now serves a number of Fortune 500 companies. In terms of industry influence, Zhongqi has integrated Nestlé's standards into the whole-process management and control. Every link, from raw material procurement to finished product delivery, is implemented in accordance with Nestlé's audit requirements, forming a replicable high-quality supply model. This provides a valuable development example for domestic peers and proves that Chinese enterprises' R&D, production, and compliance capabilities have reached a world-leading level.

Notably, the cooperation between Zhongqi and Nestlé has also extended to the fields of sustainable development and multi-market adaptation. Zhongqi has proactively optimized its production processes to reduce water and energy consumption, which is highly aligned with Nestlé's "Creating Shared Value" strategy. This not only reduces its own operational costs but also significantly improves its ESG rating, attracting more international customers who focus on environmental protection. Meanwhile, relying on HALAL and Kosher certifications, Zhongqi's silica products can also support Nestlé's product layout in Muslim and Jewish markets. This multi-market adaptation capability endows the cooperation between the two parties with broader room for expansion.

From a leader in China's domestic niche market to a supplier of an international food giant, Zhongqi's growth path is not only the result of the company's in-depth focus on technology and strict quality control but also reflects the rise of China's high-end food-grade silica industry. In the future, Chinese enterprises represented by Zhongqi are expected to gain more say in the global food additive market and continue to promote the upgrading of "Made in China" to "Smart Manufacturing in China" and "Quality Manufacturing in China".