Canada: A real mouthful

Chef Ethan Robinson prepares dishes for a wine-pairing dinner at the Canadian embassy in Beijing during the fifth "Eat Drink Canada China".[Photo provided to China Daily]

In 2015, Canada was the third-largest supplier of fish and seafood to China after Russia and the United States, with sales of $646 million－an increase of 26.8 percent over 2014, according to official figures. The leading Canadian products imported included frozen cold-water shrimp and prawn ($139.7 million), live lobster ($114.8 million), fresh crab ($93.6 million), frozen snow crab ($57.7 million) and frozen crab ($51.2 million).

Canadian cattle represent another showcase for the country's focus on food quality and safety, Saint-Jacques says. After spending more than 80 percent of their lives grazing in wide open pastures, cattle are moved to feedlots to be grain-fed, which produces well-marbled, flavorful and tender beef.

Since 2011, Canadian beef sales to China have increased significantly. In 2015, frozen boneless cuts of Canadian beef alone grew by 568 percent, and total beef exports to China grew to $254.5 million.

"Our pristine natural environment, cool climate, abundant land and freshwater resources make Canada an ideal place to produce excellent wine and food products," the ambassador sums up.

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn