Just like cheese, Chinese consumers have never been fans of butter. This is not primarily based on health concerns. Most of them dislike the odour and flavour of butter
According to the ‘2021-2027 China Butter Industry Development Status and Development Trend Forecast Report’, butter in China has a small output, low market awareness and low per capita consumption. In 2020, China’s butter production was only 110,000 mt, up from 98,000 mt in 2016.
As one of the typical ingredients for Western meals, butter has gained a foothold in Chinese kitchens with the gradual popularity of Western pastries, in spite of the common dislike of butter itself. In 2020, China’s demand for butter was 195,000 mt; up from 160,000 mt in 2016.
Imports
China’s butter production is small, and the market demand mainly relies on imports. In 2020, China’s butter imports were 86,000 mt; up from 63,000 mt in 2016; China also exported 1000 mt of butter in 2020. In 2020, New Zealand accounted for the highest proportion of China’s butter imports, with 66,832.357 mt; followed by France with 5,633.668 mt; and Australia with 3,004.053 kg.
Trends
With increase of home baking, the demand among Chinese consumers for butter is bound to increase. When buying butter, consumers are most concerned about whether the butter is fresh, followed by the popularity and price of their brand. However, the higher the dosage, the higher the user’s requirements for whether the butter itself is rich in milk, beating state, and milk source.
On this Valentine Day, it is appropriate to post something about what probably is one of the most romantic fruits: the strawberry. It’s hard to imagine why the apple is the “forbidden fruit” of lore, when the voluptuous and fragile strawberry is so much more tempting. Strawberries are temptingly red and sweet. The are an all time favourite flavour for ice cream, candy, cake, pie and other sweet treats.
3,449,000 mt of strawberries in 2020; up 5.3%. Moreover, higher production of fresh strawberries will back further development of the strawberry processing sector in the country. It is estimated that China’s frozen strawberry production will increase by 15% year-on-year to 150,000 mt. Beijing’s Changping region is a major strawberry producing region in China.
The 7th International Strawberry Symposium was held in Beijing in 2012. The following video gives an impression.
Strawberries are regarded as a delicacy. Hence, each strawberry is treated with extreme care in China. The following picture shows how a grower wraps each single strawberry separately.
As regards exports, China’s fresh strawberry exports are insignificant due to high shipping costs. The following table shows the Chinese exports of frozen strawberries during the past few years
Year
Exports (mt)
2020 (1-10)
5594.6
2019
3678.2
2018
2584.4
2017
2283.0
2016
1575.4
These figures show a steady growth.
For imports, only less recent figures are available.
Year
imports (mt)
2014
7,131
2013
8,076
2012
7,429
2011
5,511
2010
8,276
There seems to be no clear proportion between imports and exports.
The following video is less slick than the one shown above, but gives a direct insight in a Chinese diced strawberry plant.
Strawberry as ingredient
Strawberries are rarely used by the food and beverage industry as whole fruits. They are usually processed into powder, jam, pulp, etc. While such products are mainly supplied to industrial clients, Youlian Food (Longhai, Fujian) also markets its freeze dried strawberry powder in 50 gr packages to consumers that like to bake strawberry flavoured cakes.
The Food Ingredients China (FIC) trade fair, March 23 – 25, 2016, included 6 exhibitors with strawberry-derived ingredients.
Ingredient
number
Juice
3
Powder
2
Frozen
1
I have shown an example of a strawberry flavoured milk beverage in an earlier post. In this post, I will list a few other examples of strawberry flavoured foods and drinks. Also see the vinegar strawberries in my post on vinegar-based foods and beverages.
The interesting aspect of this recipe is that wax gourd (donggua) is used to create a fruity mouth feel, which is apparently not accomplished by the strawberry pulp by itself.
This is a good example of a Chinese formulated dairy drink in which milk is but one of the many ingredients. The brand name Zhen Guoli translates as ‘Real Strawberry Cubes’. That may be true, but it is a far cry from real milk.
The following two pictures show a few strawberry flavoured foods on the Chinese market in 2022. The first is a mix of products and the second shows exclusively strawberry milk. Real strawberries may not be used in all these products, obviously.
Funny combinations
Chinese can come up with funny combinations of flavours. Baozang launched a Cheese Strawberry drinking yoghurt late 2019. An influencer praises the combination of the ‘fermenting cheese flavour and the sweetness of the strawberries’. Why not?
Peverelli on Chinese food and culture 