An appearance on a popular TV show is behind a spike in demand for Weetbix in China.

The surge led to fears of a shortage of the popular breakfast cereal in Australia, similar to the one experienced in baby formula earlier in the year.

Ben Sun from ThinkChina Digital Marketing told Tom Elliott it was all down to a bit of product placement.

A popular celebrity was seen eating Weetbix, which prompted a lot of people to find out what it was and emulate their hero.

Mr Sun said Australian products are revered for their quality.

He said baby formula is one area where the Chinese are particularly careful, because many families have just one child and, by extension, one grandchild.

‘They don’t really care about how much they’re paying, they want to make sure the baby grows up healthy and safe,’ Mr Sun said.

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