{
  "id": 928499,
  "title": "China’s viral latiao ‘spicy strips’ take a bite of global snack market",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/chinas-viral-latiao-spicy-strips-take-a-bite-of-global-snack-market-928499",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-15T00:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hong Kong Free Press - China",
    "slug": "hong-kong-free-press-china",
    "url": "https://hongkongfp.com/2026/08/15/chinas-viral-latiao-spicy-strips-take-a-bite-of-global-snack-market/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In China’s central province of Hunan, a new factory is producing latiao, a popular spicy snack that has gained popularity both domestically and internationally. Known as “spicy strips,” latiao are made from wheat flour dough that is cooked at high temperatures and pressures, resulting in a spongy, red-colored snack that resembles deep-fried French fries. Despite being considered junk food, latiao has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry.\n\nAt the Mala Wangzi factory in Pingjiang county, workers season and sift mounds of latiao to create the final product. The factory produces nearly 700 tonnes of latiao daily, with the company selling all of its output domestically. However, latiao have begun to attract attention from foreign consumers, particularly those interested in Chinese culture or “Chinamaxxing.”\n\nMala Wangzi, the company behind latiao, has exported the snack to over 160 countries, marking a shift towards internationalization. The company’s vice president, Li Manliang, confirmed this trend during an interview with AFP. Latiao can now be found in specialty grocery stores, e-commerce platforms, and even on popular social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where users share videos of themselves trying the spicy snack.\n\nOne TikTok influencer gained 1.5 million views by consuming a latiao-made model house, while another Australian reviewer praised a giant latiao snack for its addictive flavor. In an effort to modernize its image and appeal to younger consumers, Mala Wangzi has implemented several initiatives. The company has opened pop-up museums nationwide, hosted over 4,000 latiao-themed weddings, sponsored e-sport events, music festivals, and animation conventions, and even livestreamed its factory floor to demonstrate its hygienic conditions, which adhere to pharmaceutical industry standards.\n\nWhile latiao remains popular among many Chinese consumers, some, like 22-year-old Li Peng, have chosen to avoid the snack due to personal health goals. However, the overall trend indicates a growing acceptance and appreciation of latiao on the global stage.",
  "summary": "At a gleaming new factory in China’s central hinterland, masked workers in white uniform season and sift through mounds of latiao, a longtime popular snack that has found hungry fans overseas. Spicy, sweet and curiously chewy, Chinese latiao — literally “spicy strips” — are made by cooking wheat flour dough at a high temperature and […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Chartbook",
        "title": "Top Links 1193 SpaceX and civilisational ambition. China's precarious labour market. Pakistan's Kashmir troubles, Tahiti & tattoos.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/top-links-1193-spacex-and-civilisational-ambition-chinas-precarious",
        "published": "2026-08-14T11:25:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hong Kong Free Press",
        "title": "China’s viral latiao ‘spicy strips’ take a bite of global snack market",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/chinas-viral-latiao-spicy-strips-take-a-bite-of-global-snack-market",
        "published": "2026-08-15T00:40:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}