The food fair also holds several forums, competitions, cooking demonstrations, and seminars, facilitating exchanges and giving participants more exposure to current global trends.

"It's not so difficult for people to get involved in the food industry," said Xu, who runs several chain stores in Guangzhou. "However, it's hard to do better if we don't exchange with each other."

People can also take part in the food festival via the internet and live videos, getting a glimpse of the dazzling varieties of food and food-making process on show.

As the host city of the international food fair, Guangzhou gave a 60-square-meter area for free to the city of Bijie in Southwest China's Guizhou province, promoting co-development between Guangdong and Guizhou province.

An exhibitor shows his product at the sixth Guangzhou International Food & Ingredients Fair on June 14. [Photo by Xia Shiyan/xkb.com.cn]