Origin food overrules brands for Chinese consumers - James Roy

James Roy

The origin of food is key for Chinese consumers, since brands can be made everywhere, including China, says retail analyst James Roy in FreshPlaza. "Brands are almost no longer important to the Chinese consumer when it comes to food, as long as the product's origin is foreign."

FreshPlaza:

Affluent Chinese will always choose imported products over local ones, said James Roy, a business analyst at China Market Research Group. Brands are almost no longer important to the Chinese consumer when it comes to food, as long as the product's origin is foreign. 

"For foreign food and agriculture brands, it's really important to emphasize where they are manufactured, and to show where it comes from," said Roy. 

Governments are encouraging their exporters to take advantage of such demand. During a visit to promote agricultural products in China earlier this year, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan said that an estimated 3 million jobs in Europe already directly depend on export sales to China, many of them in the agriculture sector.

More in FreshPlaza.

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