A consuming passion for quality eats away at the nation's heart

Chinese companies eye more overseas mergers and acquisitions to offset rising safety concerns at home

Donna Wang is one of the several shoppers buying ham at a busy supermarket in downtown Shanghai. Unlike most of her peers who are scouring the shelves for reputable foreign brands, Wang prefers to buy ham made by the Chinese pork producer Shuanghui Group.

"My actions may seem rather strange," Wang says. "Food safety has become a matter of grave concern in China, especially after the recurrent scandals over contaminated products and substandard ingredients. As a result most of the shoppers prefer to shun local products and opt for foreign brands," Donna says.