Published: 11:49am, 28 Feb, 2016 Updated: 2:54pm, 20 Jul, 2018
The growth in spending habits of China 's burgeoning middle class , increasing brand awareness and fears over the country 's record on safety standards , particularly in food , health and medical products , has increased the profits and share price of Australian health food companies that produce infant milk powder , vitamin ##s and honey , among other commodities . The trend is described as a shift from " mining to consumption " as Australia transitions from supplying China with key metals such as iron ore to feeding its consumption habits . Many Chinese are buying what they consider to be top - quality goods through " daigou " , overseas professional shoppers , who help them source Australian products and ship them to China . Daigou advertise their services through the popular messaging app , WeChat , or have established online stores on Taobao , Alibaba 's Chinese e - commerce platform .