Last Updated on April 8, 2025
The sheer massiveness of China’s food industry makes it highly competitive and fragmented. In 2025, this category alone amassed over $1.64 trillion in revenue and is expected to grow annually by 7.63%.
So, when entering the local business scene as a foreign brand, it’s important to get familiar with the Chinese market dynamics, your target audiences, and competitors. And what better way to do this than attending major food fairs in China?
Read along as we discuss China’s most-attended international food and beverage trade fairs and how foreign marketers can maximize these opportunities.
B2B Consumer Profile of Major Food Fairs in China
Some may think a food expo is more of a consumer-centric affair than a B2B event. However, many of these conventions include forums, talks, and seminars about the latest industry trends and technologies that attract professional visitors from different countries and regions in China.
These primary visitors are often food and beverage importers, exporters, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. You’ll also find representatives of major local establishments as exhibitors of this event, such as supermarkets, general stores, hotels, and restaurants.
Chinese consumers at a local food expo in Shanghai, China (Source: China Daily)
Beyond professional visitors, most food fairs in China also feature activities that primarily target regular F&B customers.
Businesses offering popular products and services in the local food industry will also likely be exhibitors at major expos, so they’re a good starting point to observe how their offerings appeal to the Chinese consumer market.
What are the most attended food fairs in China for B2B brands?
1. China Food and Drinks Fair
China Food and Drinks Fair is among China’s largest and oldest food and beverage exhibitions. This expo happens twice a year, with its 112th installment concluded last March 25-27, 2025, in Chengdu, China.
This international food and beverage trade show happens in a 100,000-square-meter exhibition area, hosting over 3,000 exhibitors and 150,000 professional purchasers. According to records, the exhibition attracts approximately 600,000 visitors annually.
With around 70 years of history since its establishment in 1955, the event’s primary focus is expanding the influence of food-related products and services on the local consumer market.
Source: CFDF Official Website
Beyond the exhibition, interested customers and visitors can attend official activities at the China Food and Drinks Fair. This includes professional forums hosted by participating companies about effective marketing strategies in the Chinese market.
These discussions also involve food industry experts sharing insights on e-commerce trends, consumer patterns, and the latest technologies unique to China’s business landscape.
2. SIAL China
SIAL China is recognized as the most extensive food and beverage exhibition in Asia. It highlights various categories: agricultural products, meat goods, non-alcoholic drinks, alcoholic beverages, organic merchandise, and more.
The event will have two installments in 2025. SIAL Shanghai will occur from May 19th to 21st at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Meanwhile, SIAL Shenzhen will happen from September 1st to 3rd of the same year at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center.
Source: SIAL Network
SIAL Shanghai expects to accommodate around 5,000 exhibitors from over 75 countries and regions worldwide. It also anticipates 180,000 professional visitors from 110 countries, perfectly aligning with the event’s multiple national and regional pavilions.
In addition, this event hosts various business activities, such as the Import & Export Forum, F&B Women Seminar, International Meat Forum, and more.
3. FHC Shanghai Global Food Trade Show
At FHC Shanghai Global Food Trade Show, you won’t find casual foot traffic or consumers looking for free samples. Instead, you’re stepping into a curated crowd of decision-makers, distributors, retailers, and supply chain players. It’s structured entirely around professionals in the local food and hospitality market.
The exhibition will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) from November 12 to 14, 2025.
It has grown substantially over the years in terms of international reach and industry influence. The 2024 edition welcomed over 3,000 exhibitors and 180,000 professional visitors from 98 countries and regions.
Source: FHC China
It’s also supported by several industry authorities, including the Shanghai Restaurants Cuisine Association and CFNA (China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs).
FHC is divided into 12 professional segments, covering everything from meat and dairy to snacks, beverages, and catering equipment. Each section operates like a mini-show within the larger event, which helps buyers find what they’re looking for without going through unrelated booths.
4. China National Food Expo (CNFE)
The China National Food Expo (CNFE) is worth checking out if you’re a B2B marketer exploring deeper supply chain or regional expansion opportunities, particularly in liquor, ready-made meals, hotpot chains, or fine wines.
The exhibition will take place at the Shandong International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Huayin District, Jinan, from May 23 to 25, 2025.
It’s also worth noting that Jinan is a strategically important industrial and logistics hub in China’s Shandong Province. This makes the location relevant for companies targeting distribution and F&B consumer markets in northern and eastern China.
Source: CNFE
CNFE is more known as a platform for local manufacturers, provincial distributors, food service chains, and franchise operators. It also attracts a more diverse set of regional players, which can be helpful if your goal is to build a multi-tiered partnership network inside China.
In terms of scale, the event’s 2025 installment is expected to span 80,000 square meters of exhibition area and feature over 1,800 exhibitors.
Most importantly, CNFE positions itself as a trade-first exhibition. Its format prioritizes business meetings, wholesale negotiations, and market entry facilitation. Organizers consistently focus on matchmaking and cross-regional procurement incentives.
5. Foodaily Expo 2025
Unlike traditional trade shows that often focus on scale or volume-driven procurement, Foodaily Expo 2025 leans hard into innovations and technologies. It’s where many of China’s forward-thinking food leaders go to scout new ideas, not just new suppliers.
Its 2025 installment occurred at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center from March 30 to April 2, 2025. This event is an ideal opportunity for brands launching new SKUs or seeking strategic collaborations before the mid-year retail cycle in China ramps up.
Source: Food Daily Expo
The event focuses on product development, branding, and consumer insight. It also hosts over 500 brands and 50,000 invited buyers, many of whom are representatives from leading retail chains, e-commerce platforms, and FMCG conglomerates.
Alongside the expo, it runs a tight schedule of 100+ forums, panels, and industry roundtables, where topics range from functional ingredients and packaging innovation to plant-based food and sustainable supply chains.
6. Food and Beverage Innovation Forum (FBIF)
Beyond product displays and buyer meetings, the Food and Beverage Innovation Forum (FBIF) is an exhibition that highlights idea exchange and case-based learning among industry participants.
Because of this, it consistently attracts a high concentration of brand managers, marketing directors, innovation leads, and product developers.
In the most recent edition, the event recorded over 47,000 attendees and nearly 1,000 exhibitors, with about 65% representing brand-side companies.
Source: FBIF
The audiences that the exhibition attracts are important to B2B marketers. This is primarily because it shifts the event from being just a procurement zone to a place where you can engage with decision-makers on positioning, co-creation, product launches, and white-label partnerships.
FBIF also runs multiple parallel conferences covering consumer behavior, channel innovation, food tech, and category evolution. Many sessions feature case studies from top global brands and emerging Chinese companies that have successfully disrupted their categories.
7. Craft Beer China Conference& Exhibition (CBCE)
CBCE is a highly anticipated event in China’s beverage industry, with over 18,000 industry professional visitors annually. It’s heading into its tenth edition, scheduled from April 15 to April 17, 2025, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center.
It started in 2016 as a niche event for small-batch brewers and equipment suppliers. Over the years, it has matured into a significant B2B trade show focusing on raw materials, brewing systems, packaging, and finished products, creating a one-stop exhibition for local and foreign brands.
Source: CBCE
Exhibitors range from international malt and hop suppliers to fermentation tech developers, cold chain logistics providers, and brand-side breweries. Since it’s not a consumer-facing beer fest, the focus is strictly on trade, which makes it the perfect source of business development and category insights.
Marketing Tips When Attending Food Fairs in China
Pre-event Marketing on Local Social Media Platforms
If you’re planning to exhibit at a food fair in China, your work doesn’t begin when the booth is set up. The actual visibility push should start at least six to eight weeks before the event.
One of the most effective ways to build early awareness is by running pre-event campaigns on Chinese social platforms, particularly WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book).
You can use these platforms to post content and media introducing your products, explaining your event presence, and providing booth details.
Localize Your Brand’s Website
If your website is not accessible or optimized for users in mainland China, you’re likely missing out on engagement before, during, and after the expo. Even if your marketing team has done a great job on multilingual content, a .com website hosted overseas may load slowly or be blocked entirely within China due to firewall restrictions.
A localized web presence should include a simplified Chinese version of your site hosted on a Chinese server or a platform that uses local CDN services.
You don’t necessarily need a complete rebuild. Still, the essentials should be covered: product categories, key visuals, contact information for your China-based rep or distributor, and any downloadable brochures or catalogs in Chinese.
Many visitors will scan a QR code at your booth during the event. That link should take them directly to your Chinese site or a localized WeChat mini-site. Make sure the design is mobile-first and loads quickly on Chinese networks.
Find and Collaborate with F&B Influencers
In the F&B space, there’s a growing category of industry-specific KOLs (key opinion leaders) who focus on food science, manufacturing, beverage innovation, or even product development.
These are not generic content creators. Many are former chefs, sommeliers, food buyers, or nutritionists. Their credibility comes from professional experience, and they often have strong communities in Douyin, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu.
You can collaborate with them to create booth walk-throughs, new product previews, or live Q&As during the expo. This adds a layer of credibility and brings additional foot traffic to your booth.
Quick Q&A
What is the biggest food exhibition in China?
SIAL Network hosts the biggest food exhibition in China. It happens twice a year, one in Shanghai in May and another in Shenzhen in September. The event hosts more than 5,000 exhibitors and over 180,000 industry professionals from 107 countries and regions.
Ready To Enter China’s Food Industry? Get In Touch With Us Today!
There’s no denying how massive China’s food industry is, and trade fairs open many opportunities for foreign brands. However, to maximize their advantages, marketers must utilize relevant digital marketing strategies.
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At Sekkei Digital Group, we understand social media’s role in your market entry in China. With our team’s extensive expertise and industry experience, our goal is to help your brand reach the right audience and expand your presence in the dynamic Chinese digital ecosystem.
Whether you intend to work with local KOLs or launch a social media marketing campaign for an upcoming event, we have all the digital solutions you need. Get in touch with us, and let’s start planning your next strategy.
