Catering to appetite for light meals

Meal time: A group of Chinese customers enjoying a meal of fresh vegetables at a restaurant in Xian, northern China’s Shaanxi province. — AFP

HEALTH and weight-con­scious Zou Jing, 44, a college teacher in Wuhan, Hubei province, spends up to 150 yuan (US$22) on three “light meals” a week.

Zou is among mil­lions of Chi­nese consumers, espe­cially the younger generation born in the 1990s, em­brac­ing nutri­tional life­styles that are creat­ing high de­mand, and a big mar­ket, for light meals.