From luxury handbags to vintage Bordeaux, China’s consumers have long associated French products with fine living. Now, France aims to hook the country’s expanding middle class on another local speciality: foie gras.
With French foie gras also facing import bans in other key markets, some producers view China as a potential answer to the industry’s problems. But exporters may be underestimating the challenges they would face in the Chinese market – especially the intense local competition, insiders cautioned.
Still, the industry’s ambitions were on full display at the China International Import Expo – China’s biggest import fair – in Shanghai last month, where the French foie gras industry association CIFOG made its debut appearance.
CIFOG was out to make a splash, with a booth nestled beneath a hulking replica of the Eiffel Tower. Chefs from the Michelin-starred restaurant Maison Lameloise Shanghai were brought in to prepare fresh foie gras, which attracted a crowd – including a visiting French trade minister.
