The 89th China Food and Drinks Fair, which will be held at the International Expo Center in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, from Oct 8 to 10, is expecting over 3,000 exhibitors and over 150,000 professional visitors, according to the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Commerce.

Gu Ping, office director of the fair, told reporters that the international exhibition zone of the fair covers an area of 25,000 square meters, a 31.5 percent increase compared to last year.

He also said that exhibitors from more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Germany and Denmark, will display their products at the imported food area.

One US food industry association predicted that sales of imported food in China would increase at a speed of 15 percent per year until 2018, making China the biggest imported food consumer in the world, with a market value of $480 billion.

China Food and Drinks Fair is considered a barometer of the country's liquor and food industries.

Edited by Niva Whyman and Le Qin