China has had one of the world’s most rapidly developing economies for at
least the past two decades. Population growth, accompanied by recent economic
growth and rapid urbanization, has led to an increase in food demand
and a considerable change in the composition of foods consumed in China. Rural
households (roughly 60% of China’s consumers) decreased their per capita
at-home consumption of food grains from 262 kg per person in 1990 to 219
kg per person in 2004, a decrease of over 16%. At the same time, they raised
their per capita at-home consumption of foods of animal origin (meats, poultry,
eggs, aquatic products, and dairy products), from 28 kg per person in 1990 to
42 kg per person in 2004, an increase of 50%. Urban at-home consumption of
foods has changed even more drastically. The per capita consumption of food
grains declined by 40%, from 131 kg in 1990 to 78 kg in 2004; whereas per capita
consumption of foods of animal origin increased by 78%, from 41 kg in 1990 to
73 kg in 2004 [China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 1991–2005]. Considering
that China has over one-fifth of the world’s consumers and an economy
that has grown at an average rate of 9–10% annually since 1978, this country’s
changing food consumption patterns have the potential to significantly impact
the global magnitude and pattern of food demand. Research is needed to provide
a better understanding of China’s food buyer preferences and the potential for
marketing food in China.