With the upgrading of consumption, there are more imported snacks on the shelves of supermarkets, and many large supermarkets even have set up special shelves for imported snacks. Nori from South Korea, dried durian from Malaysia, cheese crackers from Indonesia… Imported snacks from all over the world satisfy the demand of Chinese consumers for exotic tastes. During the Spring Festival, the imported snack section of the supermarkets is also crowded, mainly due to the demand of Chinese consumers for the higher quality, service and experience of snacks. The imported snacks are rich in flavors and delicately packaged, turning on the purchasing desire of consumers. According to the 2019 Survey on Chinese Netizens' Purchasing Behavior during the Chinese New Year, leisure snacks accounted for 40.4% of the imported products purchased by Chinese netizens and ranked second among all purchased products during Chinese New Year. 

In addition, many people feel that imported snacks meet their demand for high-end food, which can improve their quality of life, and they also tend to buy imported snacks as New Year gifts during the Spring Festival. For example, the Kjeldsens butter cookies uses the New Year's advertising slogan "inherited ingenuity, the royal choice" to create an image of decent gifts. The slogan has taken firm root among many people and the cookies are now the first choice for the people as gifts during the Spring Festival. In addition to the Spring Festival, Valentine's Day is also an important day for giving gifts. Ferrero Rocher, Godiva and other imported chocolates have become a fashion, and are regarded by many people as a must for expressing their love. 

In fact, imported snacks are not only popular during the Spring Festival. They are taking advantage of the consumption upgrading and getting popular in the market. Every year, a variety of foods are imported to China, including snacks, fruits, dairy products, seafood, healthy food and beverages, etc. 

According to the survey, snacks market has the greatest potential, and the trade value of imported snacks is constantly expanding. According to statistics, China's net import volume of snacks have increased by 2.3 times in the past five years, mainly from Italy, France, Britain, Germany or the United States. 

According to the statistics of Guangdong Customs, in 2017, Guangdong ports alone (excluding Shenzhen and Zhuhai) imported about 120,000 tons of snacks such as cakes, biscuits, candies, chocolates and dried fruit preserves from more than 60 countries and regions including the European Union, ASEAN and the United States, amounting to 230 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 50% and 18% respectively. Chinese consumers' fondness for imported snacks is the main reason for such a large import volume. "Analysis and Industry Development Report of Hot Categories of China Imported Food at E-commerce Platforms in 2019" from iiMedia shows that 71.7% of Chinese respondents in 2019 have bought imported leisure food, accounting for the largest proportion of the main categories of imported food purchased online. Among them, 42% of consumers said they would be willing to spend their money on imported snacks they hadn't eaten before. In addition, with the increasing varieties of online shopping modes, consumers have been able to conveniently purchase all kinds of imported snacks from various channels, with up to 75% of consumers reporting having purchased snack products from different e-commerce platforms, while 34% of consumers said they would buy snacks from imported food stores, 19% from foreign websites and 28% from local shops when travelling.

Source: www.food2china.com