Echo Hu/ Shanghai Daily news

The 51st CIES World Food Business Summit opened at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai yesterday, marking the first time the annual summit–sponsored by The Food Business Forum (CIES), the only independent global food business network–was held in Shanghai.

Shanghai vice mayor Feng Guoqin delivered a speech at the summit, extending congratulations on the opening of the summit on behalf of the city government and mayor Han Zheng.

He said in his speech that rapid economic development has created more business opportunities for foreign enterprises in the food industry and the local government would continue to provide a sound investment environment for them.

Feng also encouraged businessmen and experts attending the event to give advice on the development and safety of the city's food industry.

The annual CIES summit, which is scheduled to end tomorrow, aims at providing a platform for global food magnates to discuss recent developments in the food industry. The Food Business Forum has 175 retailer member companies and 175 supplier member companies and their subsidiaries, covering more than 150 countries and regions.