A new assessment of China’s food and nutrition policies found that governance, funding and resources, and collaboration between different stakeholders were all at a medium level when measured against international best practices.
At the same time, Chinese consumers are showing stronger interest in lower-sugar, higher-protein and higher-fibre products, functional ingredients, food safety and transparent labelling, according to Innova’s 2026 consumer food trends analysis.
Together, the findings point to a market where expectations around healthier food are rising while the systems supporting those choices are still being strengthened.
China has the foundations, but gaps remain
Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, the study assessed 15 food and nutrition policies using a China-adapted version of the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI).
The assessment looked at 11 indicators covering three areas: governance; funding and resources; and platforms for interaction.
All three areas received a medium rating. Governance scored 62.4%, funding and resources 64.6%, and platforms for interaction 69.2%.
However, the overall results actually conceal some meaningful differences between individual indicators.
The weakest score was for restricting commercial influence over food-policy development, at 55.4%. Funding for healthy eating and healthier food environments was also relatively weak, at 58.4%.
By contrast, the only indicator to reach the high category was the government’s broad, integrated approach involving local organisations, which scored 75.4%.
The paper’s scoring system classifies 50% to below 75% as medium and 75% or above as high. None of the 11 indicators was rated low or very low.
This suggests that the issue is not simply whether China has food and nutrition policies in place. Rather, the harder task is making sure there is enough funding, coordination and institutional support to turn those policies into consistent action.
Consumers are already raising expectations
That implementation question matters as Chinese consumers become more interested in what food can do for their health.
Innova identifies health, freshness and texture as key considerations in food and beverage choices, alongside flavour and price.
Nutrition is also becoming more important. Consumers are prioritising attributes such as lower fat, lower sugar, higher protein, higher fibre and added nutrients. Functional ingredients, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and vitamins, are also being incorporated into everyday products.
This is significant because the demand for healthier food is not confined to specialist nutrition products.
Consumers are increasingly looking for nutritional and functional benefits in familiar categories such as dairy, dairy alternatives, beverages and cereals. An oat-based drink with added protein and vitamins, for example, combines a familiar format with benefits that appeal to consumers seeking everyday wellness.
In other words, the food environment that policymakers are trying to improve is also the environment in which manufacturers are competing for consumers.
Healthier does not mean healthier at any price
There is another complication: consumers still have to be able to afford these products.
Innova says inflation and wider uncertainty are making Chinese consumers more careful with spending. Affordability remains important, particularly for staple food and beverage products, while convenience and shelf life also influence purchasing decisions.
This puts several demands on manufacturers at once.
Adding protein, fibre or vitamins may make a product more nutritionally attractive, but consumers will still expect it to taste good, have an appealing texture and offer value for money.
That is particularly relevant as Innova expects texture and freshness to remain important in categories including beverages, bakery and snacks.
The result is that “healthier” food cannot necessarily be treated as a standalone selling point. For everyday products, health has to fit alongside price, taste, convenience and the overall eating or drinking experience.
Trust connects health and policy
Food safety and transparency add another layer.
Innova describes product safety as a fundamental requirement across almost all food and drink categories in China. Clean-label characteristics, such as real and natural ingredients, no artificial colours or flavours, and information about product origin, can also influence consumer trust.
This is where some of the policy findings become particularly relevant.
The study gave China’s access to government information a relatively strong, although still medium, score of 70.8%. Collaboration between government, civil society and academia scored 72.4%. These results sit close to the high threshold, suggesting that some of the structures needed for information-sharing and collaboration are comparatively well developed.
However, transparency in food-policy development itself scored only 60%.
For consumers increasingly interested in what is in their food and where it comes from, transparency therefore matters at more than one level: it affects how products communicate with consumers, but also how policies shaping the food environment are developed and communicated.
From policy framework to everyday food
The study concludes that China is moving from establishing a policy framework towards higher-quality implementation, with better use of resources, stronger professional support and improved data sharing among the areas requiring attention.
That transition comes as the food industry faces a consumer base that is becoming more demanding about health, safety and nutritional value without abandoning concerns over affordability and enjoyment.
For manufacturers, this could favour products that build health and functionality into familiar, everyday formats rather than treating healthier eating as a separate niche.
For policymakers, the challenge is to make sure the systems behind those choices are strong enough to support them from funding and expertise to coordination, information and data.
China may therefore have much of the foundation for a healthier food environment in place. The next question is whether those foundations can translate into changes that consumers can see, trust and afford in their everyday food choices.
