Rebecca Parr invites two guests to talk about dining experiences in Beijing, particularly being a vegetarian. They recommend restaurants in Beijing, but consider meat eaters, too.

Caitlin invites expats living in Beijing to spill the beans on food and drink culture: events, recommendations, and stories of contemporary dining in China's capital.

Caitlin invites expats living in Beijing to spill the beans on food and drink culture: events, recommendations, and stories of contemporary dining in China's capital.

Recently here on BON News we reported on attempts to bring the concept of slow food to China – that's a movement which promotes the philosophy of quality food produced at a fair price in an environmentally friendly way.

Part of that idea involves the use of organic food – free of chemicals, artificial fertilizers and genetic modification. But, while there's certainly concern in China about the amount of pesticides used to produce fruit and vegetables - and antibiotics in animal products - finding organic products is not that easy.

And although more and more big supermarkets in major cities now offer a selection of organic products that's not the case in smaller stores and open markets, where the majority of Chinese shoppers still buy their food. And the absence of official regulations on what exactly is or is not organic produce means there is much skepticism about products labeled as organic.

Still the recent notorious tainted milk case has heightened concerns over the dangers of additives in food. So we went out and asked some Chinese shoppers if they'd be willing to pay more for organic products.

Despite recent attempts to regulate the food industry and improve hygiene standards, new figures from China’s Ministry of Health show incidents of serious food poisoning remain high. Our reporter Andrew Livingstone shines the spotlight on food safety progress in China.

The economic crisis has forced a lot of families to cut back on the amount of high-priced organic food they buy. The growth in the US organic market has dropped from 24% at the beginning of 2008, to just 1% this year. In China, however, the organic food market is still recording double-digit growth. Elise Potaka reports on how a scares over tainted food scandals and hazardous agricultural chemicals are sparking a new consumer trend.