With the removal of significant government intervention, the changing structure of the Chinese food markets has led to the evolution of different types of markets, and particularly the growth of wholesale markets. This paper analyses food consumption patterns for the largest wholesale food market in Beijing. An AIDS model is applied to monthly data for the period 1991 to 1994 to estimate expenditure and price elasticities for vegetables, grains, fruit, meat and aquatic products. The magnitude and direction of these elasticities are then examined to explore the policy implications of the analyses.