Grains Australia is continuing to work closely with flour millers in China to document their specific wheat quality preferences.
The initiative, which began in 2025, is a first for the Australian industry and involves using a variety of survey methods and engagement with milling companies to collate objective evidence on Chinese customer requirements and quality targets. The insights gathered will empower the industry to make informed decisions around wheat classification, breeding and production.
In March 2026, Grains Australia wheat market experts Dr Larisa Cato and Justin Swan engaged with Chinese flour millers to continue collating and validating their rankings of the most important quality attributes for Australian wheat. The findings will be analysed and used to support the Australian wheat industry’s world-leading market-driven classification system to further ensure that our wheat meets the requirements of customers.
There are differences in eating preferences across the diverse regions of China, which may lead to different wheat quality profiles depending on the region. For the purposes of this initiative, Chinese wheat quality preferences are being documented for three broad regions: South China, East China, and North China.
The mills we are engaging with are very welcoming, and eager to collaborate and learn more about how to use Australian wheat. There is good awareness of the advantages of Australian wheat, which include good colour and balanced dough properties.
Wheat customer quality preferences in China: initial insights
- Products being studied include white salted dried noodles, Chinese fresh yellow alkaline noodles, northern-style steamed bread, southern-style steamed buns, western-style toast and sandwich bread, sponge cakes, and sugar snap cookies.
- Flour millers consider end-product quality to be very important, including colour, brightness and texture. End-product quality consistently ranks as the most important attribute.
- There is potential demand for low protein soft wheat for products such as steamed buns and cakes.
Grains Australia will continue to engage with Chinese wheat customers to collect and validate their wheat quality requirements. Detailed findings and insights will be analysed and communicated to stakeholders to ensure the Australian wheat industry addresses challenges and captures opportunities in the Chinese market.
China: a global wheat powerhouse
China is one of the largest producers of wheat in the world. Wheat is used for a wide variety of products across China, including different types of noodles, dumplings, steamed breads, “western” style bakery goods, and many more.
Flour usage in China is divided approximately into 80% for traditional Chinese products such as noodles, dumplings and steamed breads, and 20% “Western” style products, such as toast bread, sponge cakes and cookies.
To fully satisfy Chinese requirements for both quantity and quality, wheat is also imported from several suppliers, including the USA, Canada and Australia.