The Chinese takeover of British cereal maker Weetabix has spawned its first fusion foods, with the company gearing up to export green tea flavoured breakfast bars to China.

The company said the Alpen cereal bars were the first products its Northamptonshire labs had designed with Chinese consumers in mind since its takeover by Bright Foods, the state-backed conglomerate, in 2012.

Weetabix chief executive Giles Turrell said the company was cashing in on nascent demand for cereals and breakfast bars in China, where the market is growing faster than in established markets such as Europe and the US. The international expansion would, he said, help secure jobs at its sites at Corby and Burton Latimer.

The Chinese usually start the day with hot savoury foods such as noodles but the bars are aimed at office workers who share snacks in the office, the company said.