A vast majority of blue-colored food products are becoming the new summer favorites among Chinese food connoisseurs with their appealing appearances.

Blue is often color to avoid for foodies as it is considered an appetite suppressant in the food spectrum. It is also rarely seen in natural products and seldom used for food products, as it is often associated with poison or products that are harmful to health.

But some entrepreneurs are out to disprove the old adage and kick-start a new craze with launching blue-colored food products for consumers.

For instance, Kuang Yao Rose, a craft beer bar and restaurant, has recently rolled out blue hamburgers to diners.

"We launched the blue burger a year after I opened my store. I was obsessed with the 1980s animation character Doraemon. I wanted to make a product that captured my love for the blue-colored Doraemon and also appealed to the younger generation. Thus was the blue burger born. We did not have too much of hopes initially as we were afraid that consumer may consider our burger as something weird," said Wang Shuo, founder of Kuang Yao Rose.

But as it turns out, the blue burger has been a resounding success, attracting flocks of young Chinese foodies, who are seeking for some new and special products.

"I usually come here with friends, just for this burger, because we all like Doraemon," said a consumer surnamed Cheng.

Color psychology is something that brand gurus have been using extensively in marketing campaigns for a long time. According to marketing company WebpageFX, nearly 85 percent of consumers cite color as the single reason for the choice of a particular product.

To be specific, red and yellow are the most-used colors for fast-food items. The reasoning behind this is that red triggers stimulation, appetite and hunger, while yellow brings the feelings of happiness and friendliness.

Green usually used for natural, organic and healthy food is also a popular color in in the catering sector.

However, blue was never the market darling.

"It really gives people a sense of something exotic, something that is very interesting, something that is very unique and also very inspiring. I guess in a specific season like summer and also with a specific group of consumers, especially younger consumers, like Gen Z, they do want something unique. Consumer tastes are becoming increasingly diversified and blue color can be a choice for a certain group of consumers," said Jason Yu, managing director of Kantar Worldpanel.

Meanwhile, people's willingness to try novel products and their growing health awareness are also sending the demand for natural colors, compared to synthetic food colors.

According to Meticulous Research, the natural food color market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.4 percent from 2019 to 2027, to reach 3.2 billion U.S. dollars by 2027.