(Yicai Global) Nov. 9 -- A UK diplomat showed up and personally promoted the food of the realm at the 3rd China International Import Expo yesterday, vowing that he would shatter the "stereotype" that British food is unsavory, as Chinese consumers become ever keener on imported food.

"I have been in China for more than 20 years, and my friends around me all have the impression that British food is bad,” said John Edwards, UK Trade Commissioner for China, at the import fair, adding, “The UK Pavilion at the CIIE is to tell everyone that this is a stereotype."

Themed "Food is GREAT," the UK pavilion at this year's CIIE has a delegation consisting of more than 120 domestic companies, including leading brands in the agriculture and food and beverage sectors.

Many small and medium UK companies brought their brands and products to China for the first time. Edwards hopes to grasp the opportunities the expo presents to find suitable importers for them and create a stronger bond with the Chinese market, he told Yicai Global.

Exponential Growth

Exports of food and drink from the UK to China have tripled in the past five years and are on track to maintain 25 percent annual growth, which is a big success for the industry, he added.

Sales of British victuals in the Chinese market rose 25 percent last year, Stuart Dunn, head of Food and Drink China at the UK's Department of International Trade, told reporters.

Dunn looks forward above all to shipments of UK beef early next year, he said. The British variety tastes firmer and better than that from a corralled herd munching on feed because each steer naturally grazes and is carefully tended by farmers, he said.

Scotch whisky and gin are well-known globally, but the penetration rate of these spirits in the Chinese market is only 2 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The absolute number is not high, but the growth trend is very gratifying, said Mark Edwards, general manager of China operations for London-based Diageo, which is the world’s second-largest distiller after China’s Kweichow Moutai.

China is indeed constantly opening up its market to the world and its consumers are demanding more fresh products and increasingly willing to sample high-quality products from abroad, he added.

Editor: Ben Armour, Xiao Yi