From Australia and New Zealand to South America, an increasing amount of beef is making its way to Chinese dinner tables, supported by a global supply chain that stretches from overseas farms.
At a fresh food supermarket in Shanghai's Putuo District, imported beef occupies more than half of the shelves, and many customers are selecting products at the beef counter just after 08:00.
"Imported steaks account for about 50 percent of our imported beef, and about 25 percent of the entire beef category. The growth rate has been around 20 percent annually over the past one or two years," said Jin Xin, fresh food assistant at Century Mart Shanghai Zhonghuan store.
At a fresh food store in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, imported beef comes from countries including New Zealand, Australia and Brazil, with 25 varieties available. Chilled, frozen, sliced and cubed options are all on offer to meet different cooking needs.
"From January to July this year, sales grew about 30 percent year on year. Online sales account for a slightly higher share, reaching around 60 percent," said Shang Hangxu, deputy store manager of Freshippo Shanghai Jinqiao store.
The booming sales have prompted many merchants to move livestreaming studios directly into the stores, allowing customers to shop online while watching. Behind the scenes, an import chain from overseas pastures to Chinese tables is supporting the growing demand.
"This year, our distributor channel mainly focuses on products from Australia and New Zealand. These two products have good promotion prospects in the Chinese market, with growth of around 20 to 30 percent," said Teng Yaoyao, head of market strategy at Beijing Zhuochen Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd.
"We basically import about 3,000 tonnes of chilled beef to China every year, of which chilled steaks account for about 30 percent. From January to July, the volume basically doubled compared with last year," said Zhang Jie, head of China trade business at New Zealand's Silver Fern Farms.
According to Shanghai Customs, Shanghai's imports reached 235.59 billion yuan (about 35 billion U.S. dollars) in July, up 3.8 percent. In the first seven months, imports of aquatic products, grains and edible oil grew by more than 10 percent.
Imported beef flows to Chinese tables via global supply chain
