The business opportunities for the fresh-cut industry and post-harvest technologies in China

China’s slowing GDP and the trade dispute with the United States have injected a cloud of uncertainty into the Chinese economy. Some observers have predicted that these developments will spell bad news for Chinese consumption, which has thus far been a powerhouse for economic growth. Although traditional drivers of China’s economy—investment, exports, and manufacturing—are struggling, the country’s consumers remain confident. Consumers in China are proving to be remarkably resilient and remain a powerful, transformative force not just in China but also across the globe. Although it’s likely the growth rate for consumer spending will be slightly lower in the coming years, consumers continue to increase their spending by a considerable margin and are eager to pay for items with a strong value proposition (McKinsey, 2019). These forward-looking remarks open the door to the perspectives of the fresh-cut industry in China and aim to provide some guidance on the business prospects for those companies that want to enter this Asian market. My PhD dissertation is divided into three chapters, targeting to contribute to the debate on the Ready To Eat (RTE) business and the results that can achieve on the Chinese market. My contribution to the research begins with an analysis of the traditional food sector in the fruit and vegetables sector. Consumer insights, market perspectives and health benefits of increased vegetable consumption, as well as production and business strategies for SMEs and distributors are the key issues of my analysis. The second chapter that I propose will be focused on the analysis of the chinese consumer's purchasing behaviour of fresh-cut products, and key findings are the result of a questionnaire given to Chinese consumers of fresh-cut products entitled: "Questionnaire to Chinese consumers: Exploring consumption of Ready to Eat (RTE) Products in China". The final part of my research, the third chapter, proposes a theme related to the transformation of typical Italian products: concentrated juices. A current topic in China, in light of the growing interest from the Chinese consumer of healthy food products. In this area my research focuses on the strategic implications and business opportunities for the Italian agri-food chain.