As China has over one-fifth of the world’s consumers
and an economy growing at 7-8 percent annually, the
country’s rising consumption of food has the potential
to significantly impact world food demand. In past
decades, policymakers in China were concerned
primarily with supplying enough grain to meet basic
nutritional needs of China’s huge population. Now,
however, the emphasis is shifting from quantity of
food demanded to the changing composition of food
demand. Strong income growth and rapid urbanization
are diversifying the Chinese diet and creating demands
for high-value and specialty food products.