The eighth China Food Expo is scheduled to occur from Oct 26 - 29 in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, said Zhang Weili, vice-director of the Sichuan Bureau of Expo Affairs, at a press conference on Oct 17.

The four-day event, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and Sichuan Provincial People's Government, is the largest and highest level expo in China's food industry.

The expo will attract 3,042 enterprises from China and 31 other countries and regions, said Zhang. Special meetings will be held for professional buyers to promote trade.

The main exhibition site, which will be divided into eight sectors, covers an area of 80,000 square meters.

This is the first time a city in western China will host the national major food event. Expo sponsors hope to promote technical exchanges and cooperation in the food industry at home and abroad, according to Zhang.