Health food has been one of the fastest growing food industry sectors in China for many years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has fastened the growth even more. The number of newly registered health food companies increased from 2,985 in 2017 to 13,893 in 2022. 2,082 new companies were registered in the first two months of 2023.

The following table shows the annual number of newly registered companies per year from 2017 up to the first two months of 2023.

The total value of the Chinese health food market in 2023 is estimated at 219.7 billion. The following table shows the development of this key figure from 2016 to 2013.

Peter Peverelli is active in and with China since 1975 and regularly travels to the remotest corners of that vast nation. He is a co-author of a major book introducing the cultural drivers behind China’s economic success.