China’s Health Food Market

I.  Market Overview

1. According to reports, market sources in the mainland estimate that China’s health food and nutritional supplement market is worth more than RMB1 trillion. Thanks to the people’s rising health awareness, it can be expected that this market will continue to grow.

2. In the Outline of the Programme for Food and Nutrition Development in China (2014-2020), it is mentioned that the state will actively raise the nutrient intake of its people, and will make the development of health food and nutrient fortified food one of the priorities. This will help boost the development of China’s health food market.

3. China’s health food market first emerged in the 1980s. Health food refers to food products which claim to have specific health functions or supplement one’s vitamins or minerals. Health food is suitable for the consumption by specific groups of people and has the effect of regulating human body functions, but is not used for the purpose of treating diseases. Furthermore, such food should not pose to the human body any acute, subacute or chronic hazard.