CHINA | SIAL Shanghai wrapped up last week, with professionals from 132 countries gathering to witness the vibrancy of the global food and beverage industry under China’s opening-up policy.
From bulk orders by multinational buyers to the first overseas shipments of regional speciality products, from annual contracts with traditional supermarkets to blockbuster collaborations in emerging channels, the total value of deals exceeded RMB 100 billion once again.
A Global Platform Energising China’s Market
In response to expanding domestic demand, SIAL Shanghai creates effective demand through high-quality supply, facilitating the dual circulation of domestic and international markets and bringing greater variety and quality to Chinese consumers.
From leading chain supermarkets to regional distributors, from traditional wholesale agents to live-stream e-commerce, community group buying, and warehouse discount stores, diverse global buyers gathered on-site with clear needs, achieving precise, efficient connections that bring high-quality international ingredients and domestic products into every household faster.
International procurement activity continued to grow, with buyers from across the globe coming with shopping lists and closing deals on the spot.
Leveraging upgraded Match Me supply-and-demand matchmaking services and the “SIAL AI CEO” smart tool, the exhibition created diverse trade-matching scenarios for fast, efficient negotiations.
Over the exhibition period, 13,978 precision business matching sessions were completed, turning the exhibition floor into a live deal-making arena where every visit became a business opportunity.
Cross-border bulk orders, first-time agricultural export deals, annual supermarket supply contracts, and breakout collaborations with emerging channels all came together in rapid succession.
Intended transactions once again surpassed RMB 100 billion, as SIAL Shanghai demonstrated the power of a world-class trade platform, delivering meaningful support for the food and beverage industry’s steady growth and domestic demand expansion.
Building Bridges Between Domestic and International Markets
This year’s exhibition gathered over 5,000 high-quality food and beverage brands from 75 countries and regions, building a full-spectrum product matrix across categories, scenarios, and channels, offering global buyers one-stop procurement convenience and helping exhibitors expand sales and enhance brand influence.
With more than 350,000 exhibits, the SIAL Shanghai presents both international quality and Chinese characteristicS across categories such as snacks, ready-to-eat meals, grains & condiments, fresh ingredients, beverages & dairy, and baked/light meals. This mix both satisfies domestic consumption upgrades and provides premium trade channels for Chinese brands going abroad.
SIAL Shanghai effectively connects global production and consumption, helping companies optimise supply chains, expand new channels, enhance competitiveness, and drive the Chinese food and beverage industry toward high-end, branded, and international development.
Industry Innovation and Trend-Setting
SIAL Shanghai remains a bellwether for global food and beverage innovation trends. This year, 12,152 new products made their debut, highlighting trends such as clean labelling, food-medicine dual-purpose, plant-based, and personalised nutrition, underscoring the in-depth exploration of health-oriented and functional products.
Amid growing competition in the dining sector, supply chain efficiency and ingredient quality are critical. This year’s exhibition featured the SIAL Supply Chain, bringing together high-end ingredients, grains and condiments, frozen foods, pre-processed foods, and light baked goods to provide one-stop solutions for restaurant chains, group catering, and fresh supermarket sections, becoming a major focus of the exhibition.
The Tutto Pizza zone delivered a fully immersive experience, blending the authentic heritage of Neapolitan pizza-making with local creative innovation through master demonstrations, flavour tastings, and professional technical exchanges, giving industry players a clear window into the sector’s growth potential.
Meanwhile, the launch of the 2026 New Chinese Light Food Development White Paper decoded three macro trends shaping a trillion-RMB market: Chinese-style, hot-served, and functional light meals, providing the industry with a credible, comprehensive reference for product development, market strategy, and strategic decision-making.
The SIAL Innovation drew global attention on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. This year, the competition attracted 684 entries from 22 countries and regions. A jury panel conducted a rigorous evaluation across five criteria, pleasure, health, wellness, convenience, and sustainability, to identify standout innovations with both commercial promise and creative strength.
Recognised as benchmarks for industry innovation, the winning products will be showcased across the global SIAL exhibition network, helping turn breakthrough ideas into real market traction and amplifying the international visibility of participating brands.
Thought Leadership and Ecosystem Building
The exhibition’s value extends beyond trade matchmaking to thought leadership, resource connectivity, and ecosystem empowerment. This year, 20 high-end summits and professional competitions were held, covering industry insights, technology exchange, skill competitions, and consumer experiences, building an innovation ecosystem beyond trade to help professionals update knowledge, expand resources, and seize the future.
Competitions and events, including the SIAL CUP Barista Challenge, the 11th SIAL Chic & Tea Contest, SIAL Snacking Awards, SIAL La Cuisine, SIAL Best Steak Awards, SIAL Chinese Restaurant, SIAL La Noodle Map, and SIAL Coffee & Tea Market, showcased innovation, skills, and trends across the industry, energising the ecosystem.
Creating Shanghai–Guangzhou Synergy
With the Shanghai edition closing on a high note, the “Dual City” strategy linking Shanghai and Guangzhou continues to open doors to China’s most high-value markets.
Leveraging the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s strategic location, industrial strengths, and open-market policies, the exhibition will precisely connect South China’s core distribution channels with leading Southeast Asian buyers, making it the premier platform for exhibitors to deepen their presence in South China, expand into Southeast Asia, and advance both domestic and international trade circulation.
SIAL Guangzhou will carry forward the high standards, premium quality, and strong efficiency of the Shanghai edition, bringing together key channels across South China, including leading supermarket chains, regional distributors, restaurant groups, e-commerce platforms, and cross-border traders.
The exhibition will help exhibitors connect precisely with the ASEAN trillion-RMB market, accelerate the global expansion of Chinese food and beverage brands, and facilitate the entry of premium international food and beverage resources into South China and across the country.
Through its dual city strategy in Shanghai and Guangzhou, SIAL in China offers food and beverage companies a year-round growth engine: Shanghai in May provides a global platform to strengthen brand visibility, while Guangzhou in September enables companies to deepen their presence in the Greater Bay Area and access broader Asian markets.
