By To-Wen Tseng

Food preferences in China are changing rapidly. Today, Chinese people not only eat much more meat than two decades ago, but there is also a trend toward a more diverse diet. Consumption of vegetables, fruit, alcohol, sugar, eggs, and dairy products has increased rapidly, while the consumption of pulses, roots, and tubers has declined. With increased affluence, China’s average diet can be expected to change further, becoming similar to that of other developed Asian countries.

In the mid 1960s, before China started its great economic reforms, people lived on a diet of rice, wheat, and starchy roots, with rare servings of vegetables, meat, or fish. According to estimates from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, meat contributed only 77 kcal, or 3.9%, to the average daily per capita calorie supply during 1964 to 1966. On the other hand, cereals such as rice or wheat contributed 1,299 kcal, or 67%. Starchy roots such as potatoes provided 269 kcal per person per day, or 14 %.