The Confucius Institute for Business held a training course on the Chinese food and beverage market at the CCI in Caen. The opportunity for a number of French companies to receive expert advice on what is for them an attractive market.
On Monday December 3, as part of the 2018 International Days and in association with the Normandy Region's Association of Food Companies (AREA), the Confucius Institute for Business and the International CCI of Normandy co-organized a first training session on the food market in China. A major sector of excellence in the heart of the Normandy Region was able to take advantage of the in-depth experience of the Confucius Institute.  An interesting opportunity for the participating companies and their promising range of products (which include children's products, lasagna, rapeseed oil and mineral water).
Over the course of this day of study, several themes were discussed. First, an overview of the agro-food market in China. For the occasion, Jean-Marc Chaumet, project manager at the Institut Elevage presented the particularities of the market and its consumers. "It should be noted that China is a major importer of food products, particularly because the country does not have enough land to grow crops and also that environmental pollution is a major issue that has a significant impact on national production. This gives every chance to Made in France products. As such, there is a huge advantage over national competition. Today, the Chinese population consumes foreign products for reasons of image and status. They also prefer our products because they are aware that we respect high standards of quality. Finally, because there is an increasing younger generation who are better informed about international products.”

Constraints to be respected before achieving commercial success
As a follow-up to this introduction, issues related to customs clearing and export were addressed. Servane Huet, from the Business Advisory Unit of the Caen Regional Customs Authority, presented a series of facts that should not be ignored before exporting to China - regulatory procedures that have been strengthened since the 9/11 attacks in the US.
To round off the theme, Céline LAURANS, Regulatory Information Manager for Asia with Business France, clarified labelling and food additive requirements. To conclude, Camille Mancelle, export manager and head of infant milk sales for Coopérative Isygny Sainte-Mère, talked about her rich experience. "If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be to build partnerships with local partners. Without this support, development is extremely complicated and even doomed to failure".

An inspiring and eventful day that served to feed the ambitions of the participating companies.

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