Shenzhen has a taste of France at food expo

At SIAL Shenzhen, a premier international food and beverage exhibition opened in Guangdong province at the end of August, Zheng Qi's booth was surrounded by visitors who lined up to taste a wide array of quality cheeses from Europe.

His company B. Max (Beijing) Trading Co was exhibiting products that had been newly imported since its participation in the SIAL event in Shanghai in May.

"We've seen a rising number of Chinese consumers who are interested in our products," Zheng says, adding that he wouldn't miss any opportunity to introduce new products to the Chinese market.

He has found Chinese consumers are acquiring an international taste and more of them have started to use cheese to prepare Chinese cuisine.

It opens up more space for his company's business, he says.

Zheng is one of the more than 1,200 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ireland, Australia, Pakistan, Brazil, Russia, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, who altogether showcased over 60,000 food and beverage products at the event, says Li Yue, a senior official with the event organizer.

"As high as 85 percent of international exhibitors present in Shanghai showed an interest in joining our Shenzhen event," Li says.

The event, which originated in France, received support from multiple French politicians who also attended.

"As China and France approach the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, French President Emmanuel Macron visited China on April 5th. During his visit, both countries reached an agreement to strengthen their agricultural partnership," Li says, explaining the rationale behind hosting the Shenzhen event.

"They also decided to jointly address global food crises through China's international food security cooperation initiative and agricultural resilience actions, ensuring the smooth operation of the international food supply chain, and promoting Sino-French economic and trade cooperation," Li adds.

For food and beverage companies looking to expand their business scope and increase exports, China is a vast market, which is more accessible now than ever before, says SIAL's CEO Nicolas Trentesaux. In China, several segments of the food and beverage industry are thriving, with demand on the rise, he adds.