Shanghai Consumer Council has received 313 candidates for this year's best specialty products of Shanghai, a record, with the final results to be announced around October, the council said on Thursday.

These items were submitted by 184 companies, also a record, demonstrating the vitality of Shanghai's consumption market, it said.

The event, in its sixth version, is listed as one of the 12 important measures to boost the innovation vitality of the consumption market and simulate consumption by the Shanghai government.

Over the past six years, 374 souvenirs have been listed and they cover a wide range of areas, from cultural products and food to arts and crafts, and daily necessities.

They were submitted by cultural venues such as Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Library, time-honored brands including Shen Da Cheng and Lei Yun Shang, and emerging fashion and start-up companies, the council said.

The criteria include cultural inheritance, quality, brand reputation and product innovation, and it involves the survey of more than 1 million consumers, according to the council.

Sales of some hit products surpassed 100 million yuan during the two-month promotion period last year on e-commerce platforms, the council revealed.

On Thursday, a round-table discussion on the new consumption opportunities from the event was held in Jing'an District with the attendance of government authorities and representatives from some 80 companies.

Shanghai has been accelerating the development of an international consumption center with activities spurring consumption to roll out throughout the year, said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Commission of Commerce.

As part of the plan, Shanghai Summer, the city's latest initiative to drive consumption and fully leverage the peak travel season from summer till early autumn to target domestic and overseas travelers, will kick off next month, she added.

"Specialty products bear the city's memory, embody the city's culture and represent the city's image, which have become an important card promoting the city to the world and an important carrier stimulating consumption," she said.