Since the beginning of 2026, Chinese snacks have unexpectedly emerged as a powerful 'dark horse' in the country's foreign trade. Over the first seven months of the year, snack exports demonstrated impressive growth across all categories and regions. In the south, the total value of snack exports from Quanzhou, Fujian province, reached 2.14 billion yuan, while in the north, ready-to-eat seafood snack exports from Shandong province exceeded 5.2 billion yuan.
The Latiao Phenomenon and Global Popularity
A special place in this export breakthrough is held by spicy snack sticks (latiao), known for their sweet-and-spicy flavor and chewy texture. According to AFP, this snack has gained a massive loyal following in Europe and the US, with foreign vloggers actively sharing their tasting reactions on social media. Henan Weilong Global Flavors, the largest manufacturer, reported that its overseas sales grew by nearly 50% in 2025, reaching 117 million yuan. On Italian TikTok, the Da Mian Jin snack topped food charts, selling over 5,000 packs in just 28 days.
Seafood Delicacies and Confectionery Products
The scale of expansion goes beyond flour-based snacks. Companies from coastal cities like Dalian and Qingdao are actively ramping up exports of shredded squid, fried fish fillets, spicy shrimp, and dried eel to South Korea, the US, Russia, and Southeast Asia. Concurrently, Fujian province is triumphantly conquering global sweet markets: cake and cookie exports jumped by 39.5% to 610 million yuan in seven months. Confectionery firms adapt packaging and recipes to specific regional demands, expanding their export geography from 15 to 41 countries.
Three Key Export Strategies
Experts highlight three main strategies driving Chinese manufacturers to success abroad. First is fine taste localization and cultural compliance: rice crackers get a cheese flavor in Asia and spicy Mexican flavor in Japan, while products for Saudi Arabia undergo strict halal certification. The second strategy involves transferring advanced domestic supply chains, cold-chain logistics, and e-commerce infrastructure to international markets, enabling overseas warehouses for rapid delivery. The third strategy encompasses aggressive marketing and deep integration into local digital ecosystems.
Contradictory Data
Despite the general trend of surging food exports in 2026, official analytical reports and customs records occasionally diverge in assessing growth rates across specific categories. While regional authorities in Fujian and Shandong report record sales surges of 30-70% for the early months of the year, China's broader macroeconomic foreign trade figures rely heavily on high-tech demand and electronics exports, leading to cautious adjustments regarding consumer goods shares in fluctuating logistics conditions.
