ANN VEECK The greater choices in food for Chinese consumers include both fresh food and processed food. Improvements in the distribution and trans- portation infrastructure allow food to be distributed throughout the coun- try and imported from other countries. Farmers and vendors are becoming more aware of consumers'desires and have begun to respond to demands For example, according to seasonal preferences, vendors offer cut and pre- pared food items for use in huo gwoin the winter and wild vegetables in spring Altogether, there is a greater congruence between consumer needs and prod- uct offerings Once limited in supply, packaged food of many types is now readily avail- ble in China. International packaged food corporations such as Procter &e Gamble, Philip Morris, and Quaker Oats have steadily increased their pres ence in China, competing alongside chinese food companies with brand names such as Maling, Lion Brand, and Pagoda. Independent importers, wholesalers, and retailers increasingly represent a major force in the food distribution industry of China. Production of Chinese frozen foods, reported at 2.2 million tons in 1g96, is projected by the ministry of Agriculture to in- crease fourfold to 8 million tons by 2000. 7 The expansion of choice for Chinese consumers is readily apparent in the newly transformed markets of Nanjing. Nanjing has 61 major food markets scattered throughout the residential areas in the city. Results of the house hold survey show that most households are within 50o meters of a market and almost all families live within 1, ooo meters of a food market(see Table 5.1).As in other urban areas of China, the alternative food retail options, both state and privately managed, that have emerged in Nanjing in recent years include supermarkets, bakeries, cooked poultry and meat stands, and maibu( kiosks). Still, the food market remains the primary outlet for the food needs of Nanjing households. The use of food markets for household food shopping is a matter of choice, rather than convenience, since by 1996 virtually all food markets had a supermarket nearby Owing both to histori- cal lines of distribution and to the attitudes of consumers, only the rare su- permarket attempts to sell fresh produce. Instead, supermarkets concentrate on packaged goods, including staple condiments. soft drinks, snack foods, canned goods and lavishly packaged gift items. Many supermarkets are part of state-owned chains and often occupy the spaces formerly held by the state- owned grain and oil stores of the days of food rationing and coupons Food markets are located in a variety of places. Some are housed in large warehouses or seicovered pavilions, some occupy a crisscross of alleys, and others take over entire streets. At present, even the smaller Nanjing markets 5. Zhou Yiling 1996: Li Dingqiang 1996 6. McNicl and Nilsson 1994. 7. (lar Thinking Agmirultur Naumltl 1997P