Hsin Tung Yang
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHsin Tung Yang is a Taiwanese food manufacturer, specialty-food retailer, and food-service operator best known for pork floss, bakkwa, and other traditional Chinese snack foods.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Hsin Tung Yang (Chinese: 新東陽) is a Taiwanese food company whose activities combine packaged-food manufacturing, specialty retail, and food-service operations. The company is particularly associated with pork floss, known in Chinese as rou song, and bakkwa, a sweet-savory dried meat product commonly made from pork. It has also produced or sold dried mullet roe, Chinese tea snacks, and other prepared or preserved foods. The business began in 1967 when Mai Hsin-Fu opened an operation called Hsin Tung Yang Barbeque Meat Company. Its original focus was on prepared and roasted meat products, a foundation that shaped the brand's later reputation for traditional Taiwanese and broader Chinese-style preserved foods. In 1972, the business was formally incorporated under the name Mai's Hsin Tung Yang Food Co. Ltd., marking its transition from an operating shop into a structured food company. Hsin Tung Yang expanded beyond Taiwan during the following decades. It established Hsin Tung Yang USA in San Francisco in 1979 and by 1988 had grown to 46 branches across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States. At that point the company was reported to make more than 3,600 varieties of food products. The international network reflected the appeal of shelf-stable Taiwanese and Chinese foods among overseas Chinese communities and travelers, while its retail format allowed customers to purchase gift foods and familiar regional specialties. The company also invested in production capacity and geographic expansion. In November 1988 it began constructing a factory in Ipoh, Malaysia, with the stated objectives of moving some food operations closer to important markets and responding to changing production costs. In 1991, Hsin Tung Yang became a publicly listed company in Taiwan. Retail and food service are important parts of the brand's identity alongside manufacturing. In Taiwan, Hsin Tung Yang has operated a broad network of retail stores; the company was reported to have more than 70 stores as of 2011. It has also managed stores and service areas at airports and other transport-related locations, placing its products in a high-frequency travel and gifting environment. In April 2010, it was among the early retailers to accept EasyCard, Taiwan's contactless smart-card payment system, extending the brand's convenience-oriented retail proposition. Hsin Tung Yang's positioning is rooted in packaged traditional foods, gift-giving, convenience, and Taiwanese culinary identity rather than in a single restaurant concept. Its core offer links familiar meat products with a wider assortment of snack foods and regional specialties. The business therefore sits at the intersection of consumer packaged food, specialty retail, travel retail, and food service. A 2008 product-safety incident in Hong Kong, when pork floss was withdrawn after clenbuterol was detected, became a notable challenge to the brand's reputation and is part of its documented corporate history. Publicly available reference material does not provide enough information to describe the company's current leadership, detailed financial performance, or present store count with confidence.
History
Hsin Tung Yang traces its origins to 1967, when Mai Hsin-Fu began operating Hsin Tung Yang Barbeque Meat Company. The early business concentrated on prepared and roasted meat, establishing the product knowledge and culinary identity that later became associated with the Hsin Tung Yang name. In 1972, the operation was formally established as Mai's Hsin Tung Yang Food Co. Ltd., providing a corporate structure for manufacturing, retailing, and subsequent expansion. The company developed around foods that could be preserved, packaged, transported, and given as gifts. Pork floss and bakkwa became especially important to its identity. These products connected the company to Taiwanese and Chinese food traditions while also fitting modern retail channels, including supermarkets, department stores, travel locations, and specialty shops. Over time, the assortment broadened to include dried mullet roe, Chinese tea snacks, and other packaged foods. Hsin Tung Yang began internationalizing in 1979 with the establishment of Hsin Tung Yang USA in San Francisco. By 1988, the company was reported to have 46 branches in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States, as well as more than 3,600 food varieties. Its overseas presence served both local demand and expatriate or diaspora consumers seeking familiar Taiwanese and Chinese foods. That same year, in November, the company started construction of a new factory in Ipoh, Malaysia. The project was intended to relocate some food operations and support expansion while addressing rising market costs. In 1991, Hsin Tung Yang was publicly listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The listing marked another stage in its transformation from a founder-led prepared-meat business into a larger food enterprise with manufacturing, retail, and service activities. In Taiwan, the company continued to build a substantial store network; reference material reported more than 70 retail stores by 2011. It also managed service areas and stores at airports, giving the brand a presence in travel-related retail and food service. The company adopted EasyCard payment in April 2010 and was described as one of the first retailers to do so. The move aligned its stores with Taiwan's increasingly integrated contactless payment environment and emphasized convenience for everyday and traveling customers. Hsin Tung Yang's history also includes a significant food-safety episode. In May 2008, its pork floss was removed from Hong Kong supermarket shelves after clenbuterol was found in the products. The incident is documented as a product withdrawal and regulatory controversy, although the available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the investigation, financial effect, or subsequent corrective program. The available sources establish Hsin Tung Yang as a Taiwanese food-service company and retailer with a substantial packaged-food manufacturing base. They do not provide reliable current information about its executives, current ownership structure, present-day revenue, exact store count, or current international footprint. Those areas require further verification before being added to the encyclopedia record.
- 2010
EasyCard acceptance
[1]The company begins accepting EasyCard payments at its retail operations.
- 2008
Hong Kong product withdrawal
[1]Pork floss is withdrawn from Hong Kong supermarket shelves after clenbuterol is detected.
- 1991
Taiwan stock-market listing
[1]Hsin Tung Yang becomes publicly listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
- 1988
Branch and product expansion
[1]The company is reported to have 46 branches across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States and more than 3,600 food varieties.
- 1988
Ipoh factory project begins
[1]Construction begins on a factory in Ipoh, Malaysia, intended to support production relocation and market expansion.
- 1979
United States expansion
[1]Hsin Tung Yang USA is established in San Francisco, extending the company's overseas presence.
- 1972
Corporate establishment
[1]The business is established as Mai's Hsin Tung Yang Food Co. Ltd.
- 1967
Operations begin
[1]Mai Hsin-Fu begins operating Hsin Tung Yang Barbeque Meat Company, the predecessor of the later food brand.
Products and positioning
A Taiwanese heritage food brand combining traditional meat products and packaged Chinese snacks with specialty retail, travel retail, and food-service operations.
Preserved meat snack
Pork floss
Pork floss is a finely shredded, dried meat product with a light texture and savory-sweet flavor. It is one of Hsin Tung Yang's best-known traditional offerings and is sold as a packaged food and gift item. The product connects the brand to Taiwanese and wider Chinese culinary traditions, while its shelf-stable format makes it suitable for retail distribution and travel purchases.
Dried meat snack
Bakkwa
Bakkwa is a thin, dried, seasoned meat product, commonly associated with pork and often prepared with a sweet-savory profile. Hsin Tung Yang's bakkwa forms part of its core preserved-meat range and reinforces the company's heritage positioning. It is suitable for individual consumption, gifting, and specialty-food retail.
Traditional preserved seafood
Dried mullet roe
Dried mullet roe is among the traditional specialty foods into which Hsin Tung Yang expanded beyond its original meat focus. The product broadens the range toward premium preserved foods associated with Taiwanese cuisine and festive or gift occasions. The available reference does not specify a launch date, formulation, or current sales scale.
Packaged snack foods
Chinese tea snacks
Hsin Tung Yang has expanded its assortment into Chinese tea snacks and related packaged foods. These products complement the company's meat specialties by offering lighter snack and gifting options, and they fit the brand's broader role as a retailer of traditional Chinese food products. Specific product names and current availability are not established in the supplied sources.
Controversies
2008
Clenbuterol finding in Hong Kong pork floss
In May 2008, Hsin Tung Yang pork floss was removed from supermarket shelves in Hong Kong after clenbuterol, an asthma medication, was detected in the product. The available source confirms the withdrawal but does not describe the full regulatory process, the cause of contamination, or the company's longer-term response.
Brand decisions
2010
Adopt EasyCard paymentsStrategyBackground
Taiwan's EasyCard system was already widely used for Taipei Metro and other everyday transactions.
Action taken
Hsin Tung Yang became one of the early retailers to accept EasyCard contactless payments.
Aftermath
The available source identifies the adoption but does not quantify changes in sales, traffic, or payment mix.
1991
List the company on the Taiwan Stock ExchangeOtherBackground
After more than two decades of operating and international expansion, the company moved to a publicly listed structure.
Action taken
Hsin Tung Yang became publicly listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
No listing details, ticker, valuation, or subsequent financial measures are provided in the supplied reference.
1988
Build a production facility in MalaysiaStrategyBackground
The company sought to relocate some food operations and support market expansion amid rising market costs.
Action taken
Hsin Tung Yang began construction of a new factory in Ipoh, Malaysia, in November 1988.
Aftermath
The supplied material does not document the facility's later output, operating status, or financial effect.
Sources1 sources
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