(Yicai Global) Oct. 27 -- Healthy foods and new products will make up a much higher proportion of the exhibits from food companies signing up for the 3rd China International Import Expo, as the sudden outbreak of the pandemic has not only subtly changed the needs of Chinese consumers, but also wrought new consumption trends.

Nearly 1,000 international food and agricultural firms will participate in the CIIE, and the food and agricultural product exhibition area will spread over three pavilions, official information shows.

Big changes have emerged in consumer behavior post-pandemic, with them more greatly cherishing health, hygiene and food safety, Cargill China's President Liu Jun told Yicai Global.

US-based Cargill, the country’s largest private firm by revenue, has brought various healthy and environmentally friendly foods to the import fair, including the world's only chicken product that does not use antibiotics throughout the entire process of its rearing, plant-based meat products, and new calorie-free sweetener products Truvia and ViaTech.

Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings, an edible oil and grain processing unit of Singapore-based food giant Wilmar International, will exhibit various new products featuring healthy concepts, including its ‘zero trans-fatty acid’ series cooking oil which greatly reduces artificial trans fats, while retaining the original nutrition of the product and food.

Opportunity Beckons

Many of the food companies signing up the fair were exhibitors at the two earlier ones. They have utilized the exhibition’s 'hotspot' effect to hasten their expansion in the Chinese market while delivering many high-quality imported products to Chinese consumers.

"Each CIIE provides Danone with special development opportunities, greatly improving the company's efficiency in making new products available on the market, and further smoothing sales channels," Zhou Zhigang, vice president of Paris-based Danone’s China business, told Yicai Global.

Cooperative deals the company penned with various industry leaders in China during the 2nd CIIE were worth more than CNY18.2 billion (USD2.7 billion) and greatly promoted the growth of various businesses in China, a source at New Zealand’s dairy cooperative Fonterra Co-operative Group told Yicai Global. This encouraged the company to be among the first to sign up for the 4th CIIE next year when this year’s starts on Nov. 5.

China is now Nestlé's second-largest market, Rashid Qureshi, chairman and chief executive of Nestlé China, told Yicai Global. The CIIE marks China is further opening up its domestic market, which will undoubtedly offer the company a brand-new development platform.

The 3rd CIIE is set to run from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10 in Shanghai.

Artificial trans fats -- also called industrial trans fats or partially hydrogenated fats -- are a health hazard. Chemically altering vegetable oil to stay solid at room temperature -- which gives it a much longer shelf-life -- produces these fats.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Ben Armour