The five-day expo held by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center ended yesterday, with further discounts for visitors.

Tam, a dried seafood exhibitor, said payment with the HK$2,000 handout had accounted for half of her turnover.

But not all customers made purchases with just the handout, as most still had to use it along with cash or credit cards to cover their payments, she noted.

She added: "It has been many days since the launch of the handout and people have spent most of it."

Lau, a sauce exhibitor, said the handout comprised a quarter of her turnover, adding that the "no-tasting" rule this year led to fewer customers. Frozen food exhibitor Ng said her turnover was around 20 to 30 percent less compared with previous years.

Leung, another exhibitor, said the handout was of limited help to his turnover, which declined by10 percent. He blamed the "no-tasting" rule and the weak purchasing power of visitors.

Meanwhile, exhibitors seized the final day to promote their "clearance sales." Frozen food distributor The Food Source were selling three packs of frozen food for HK$100 - a significant discount from the original one pack for HK$60 deal.

Cooked seafood distributor Wah Tai SF Trading said they would sell six cans of abalone and three cans of sliced whelk for the same price - HK$100.

Visitor Mo, who visited the Food Expo for the first time yesterday, said he spent HK$3,000 on fruits and snacks.

"I have zero consumer sentiment, but my wife had wanted to shop at the expo so I kept her company today," he joked.

HKTDC yesterday said the expo attracted over 370,000 visitors. Of 1,400 visitors chosen at random, 50 percent said they used the HK$2,000 handout.