Thirty-five food and farm produce companies from around the world have met with Chinese buyers to discuss possible deals ahead of the China International Import Expo in November. Sun Siqi has more from Shanghai.  

The matchmaking session attracted local buyers and food connoisseurs to try the exhibitors' chocolates, red meat, coffee and dairy products.

SUN SIQI SHANGHAI "As the companies showcase their merchandise, some of them say they have noticed interesting trends in the Chinese consumption of imported foods, especially more expensive products."

HE CHUANLIN, BUSINESS MANAGER AUSTRALIA AULONG AUNIU WANG "From a couple years ago, we see demand growing from the Chinese market for Australian beef. Consumption has been growing by at least 10 percent a year. And they include the grain-fed beef and the other high-end beef products."

CLAUDE SARRAILH, PRESIDENT METRO CHINA "We see also there that Chinese population is going more and more in these food safety and food chain certification. And these are also of higher level of quality that is also very well recognized by the market, more and more, not only on the retail market but also on the food industry, meaning restaurants, which is one of our many customer groups."

SUN SIQI SHANGHAI "Some companies said they see the expo as an opportunity to look for technology and strategic partners."

JEAN-PHILIPPE POULIN, PRESIDENT LESAFFRE GREATER CHINA "We expect to have some suppliers come in to see, not customers, to provide technologies and to create innovative platforms in China. Now we are looking for robot, we are looking for digital technologies, we are looking for gene technology regarding the bacteria and yeast producing. There're a lot of areas that we could develop for technology in the future."

More than 1,000 food and farm produce companies from close to 100 countries have signed up to attend the expo. SUN SIQI, ICS for CGTN, Shanghai.