Food lovers will have a chance to whet their appetites at the eighth edition of the FHC Beijing 2009, the country's only international food and hospitality trade event.

The event, to be held from June 9 to 11, is expected to feature niche cuisine and products from over a dozen countries and will capitalize on the growing demand for international cuisine in China.

FHC Beijing 2009 is expected to attract members of Beijing and North China hotels, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, importers, distributors, retailers and traders. It will also provide 7,000-plus attendees a chance to rub shoulders with 120 global exhibitors selling imported food, beverages and other related products.

"(FHC Beijing 2009) will not only bring in international companies, but also offer a variety of products to cater to the growing demand for imported food," said Justin Pau, project manager, FHC Beijing 2009. "With national pavilions confirmed from Argentina, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka and the US, as well as local companies selling imported foods, it will offer trade visitors the best business opportunity this year."

China is set to become the world's largest importer of food by 2018 and the three-day event will see the presence of nearly every major food-producing nation, said Pau.

"The market here is huge," he said. "The consumption of imported foods ranging from commodities products like meat, flour, cheese, and finished products like jams, chocolates, and convenience foods like high-energy snacks and cereals, are all growing every year. In addition, demand for wine is also growing exponentially."

The exhibition will not only feature international products already in China, but also showcase several new ones, like Spanish ham, Korean dairy and Argentinan wines.

Another attraction will be the exhibit's first-ever Green Pavilion, which will focus on Green Food Standards products, produced according to "green" Chinese government regulated practices. Essentially, a notch below organic foods, these Green Food Standard products, mainly vegetables, are roughly 20 to 25 percent more expensive than normal ones and approximately 60 to 75 percent less costlier than organic ones.

The "green" element was added to the show this year due to the increasing consumption of green products by hospitality and retail buyers, said Pau.

"They are more aware of this standard as their customers look for this apart from the vast quality difference," he said.

Other highlights include the 5th annual International Culinary Arts Competition, which will give the city's chefs, mostly local western food chefs, the opportunity to compete against one another using a variety of different techniques and international ingredients.

An American-led seminar on food safety will also be part of the exhibition, that would be held at the New Hall of the China National Agriculture Exhibition Center.

(China Daily May 29, 2009)