EU Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel Promote 'Tasty Europe' in China

Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, visited China from 18th May until 22nd May to promote the quality and diversity of European food and drink.

The Commissioner was be accompanied by a delegation of 11 top executives from food and drink companies from across the European Union, representing an annual turnover of around €27 billion, under the "Tasty Europe" banner. The business representatives have been selected taking into account products where there already is an EU presence on the Chinese market and where there is significant potential for growth in the future. The main objective of the visit is to spearhead a promotional effort to increase joint business opportunities in the agri-food sector between the EU and China.

On Monday 18th May, the delegation launched the 'Tasty Europe' promotional week at an event at a leading food distributor in Shanghai. On Tuesday 19th, having inaugurated the 10th SIAL Food & Beverage trade show, Mrs Fischer Boel opened the EU stand at SIAL and take part in promotional events including a cooking demonstration. On Wednesday 20th in Beijing, the Commissioner gave the keynote speech at the China-EU agro-food business summit. On Thursday 21st, she launched an EU-China project on agri-environmental policy and give a lecture at the Beijing Agricultural University.

Business delegation:

Bongrain (France) - dairy

Hoogwegt Groep (Netherlands) - dairy

Danish Crown Pork Division (Denmark) - meat

Vion Food Group NV (Netherlands, Germany, UK) - meat

Maspex ¨C GMW (Poland) - cereals-based products, fruit, juices

Besana Group (Italy) - fresh fruit

Anecoop (Spain) - fresh fruit

Scotch Whisky Association (UK) - spirits

Gancia (Italy) - wine

Grupo SOS (Spain) ¨C olive oil

HZPC (Netherlands) ¨C potatoes