The Chinese New Year (also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) is the most important family and travel event in China. Economically, however, it is primarily one thing: the world's largest predictable, recurring disruption to production and logistics – impacting commodity markets, intermediate goods, packaging, finished products, and international transportation.
For 2026, an additional factor comes into play: China has extended the official holiday period for the Spring Festival from February 15–23, 2026, to nine days. Many of our suppliers will close their doors as early as February 11, 2026.
What happens around the time of the Chinese New Year in the real economy?
Production and procurement effects in China
- Lead time: Many suppliers reduce production 1–2 weeks before the official start of the holiday.
- Shutdown & ramp-up: The official holiday week is only the core of the disruption – factories often remain closed for significantly longer, and restarting production takes time (backlogs, staff returning in stages).
- Order and lead time extension: Orders placed "too close" to the Chinese New Year (CNY) quickly slip into the post-market period.
Logistics and transport effects
- Pre-CNY peak: Exports are consolidated → capacity becomes scarce, cut-offs tighten, and transport costs increase (peak season surcharges).
- During CNY: Reduced production and lower departure frequency → reduced carrier capacity and irregular schedules. Things grind to a halt.
- After CNY: Congestion due to backed-up shipments → port/hub congestion, container and slot shortages.
Why is this globally relevant – even beyond "Made in China"?
For many industries, China is not only a final manufacturer but also a hub for intermediate products (chemical raw materials, botanical extracts, amino acids/vitamins, packaging materials, additives, machine/spare parts). If this key hub experiences a predictable disruption, global delivery dates (OTIF performance), inventory levels (safety stock), cash flow (earlier payments/orders), and transportation costs (spot vs. contract, mode shifts) will be affected.
Furthermore, the Chunyun travel season in 2026 will again be a massive stress test: China anticipates record-high travel activity during the Spring Festival period. (While this primarily affects domestic mobility, it also indirectly impacts labor availability in logistics and warehousing.)
Impact on commodity trading (for our purposes):
What can happen if planning is not done in time?
- Bottlenecks due to production stoppages and delayed restarts; in addition, multi-stage supply chains are common (cultivation → extraction → drying → milling → QC → export).
- Orders are brought forward before the Chinese New Year (CNY), which can trigger price pressure and longer lead times if capacity is limited.
- If a raw material is missing, an entire premix or SKU run can be canceled—especially costly with just-in-time planning.
- Delivery delays before and after Chinese New Year can lead to production delays.
Conclusion
Chinese New Year (like Golden Week from October 1st to 6th) is not a national holiday, but rather a global catalyst for industry and logistics.
Did you know?
Millions of workers change jobs every year after the Chinese New Year – voluntarily. Many factory workers use CNY as a natural "reset point." Estimates from industry and supply chain analyses show that 10–30% of the workforce does not return to their previous employer after CNY (depending on region and industry).
This can mean: new and sometimes inexperienced teams, quality fluctuations in the first few weeks after restarting operations, and increased risk in complex processes (extraction, fermentation, quality control, bottling).
Problems following CNY (Conditional New Year) often arise not from a lack of machinery or raw materials, but from a lack of experience on the production line or in the laboratory.
This is an underestimated factor, especially with supplement, food, and cosmetic raw materials.
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Disclaimer
For legal reasons, we would like to point out that some of the above statements require further research and studies to scientifically prove them. Therefore, not all statements can currently be accepted by conventional medicine.
The information contained in this article regarding legal regulations, approvals, and possible uses of raw materials is based on careful research and our current state of knowledge (as of July 2025). However, we assume no liability for the completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information.
The legal framework for food and food supplements is subject to constant change. Therefore, the manufacturer or distributor is always responsible for checking the applicable regulations, EU regulations, and approval lists for the use of raw materials and health-related claims.
In case of legal uncertainty, we recommend consulting legal experts or the relevant authorities.