"Organic food has become more and more popular in recent years," said a saleswoman called Wang at a Beijing Ito Yokado Store, which supplies a range of organic food from Xiaotangshan in Beijing's Changping district. "Sales of organic food are especially good during the weekend when people stay at home and have the time to cook their own meals."
According to Ursula Chen, a former consultant to the United States Agricultural Trade Office in Guangzhou, nearly all supermarkets on the Chinese mainland have doubled their shelf space for organic goods. Imported organic products are also available in some high-end retail stores.
The Chinese consumers are now believed to consume more than twice as much organic food as health-conscious Japan. The Chinese government statistics show the market is worth about 10 billion yuan ($1.55 billion), having quadrupled over the past five years
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