China’s ongoing battle with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), has underscored the importance of fostering the body’s immune system. The virus seems to preferentially affect the elderly, particularly those with comorbidities. The increased case-fatality rate and increased incidence of the virus in the elderly can confidently be attributed to the decreased efficiency of the immune systems of elderly people compared to younger people. In China, there has been an understandable increase in interest in foods and bioactive substances purported to strengthen the body’s innate immunological defenses. Two areas of China's food sector that are performing particularly well during the epidemic are health foods (functional food) and nutrient supplements.
Facts and figures about China’s health food market
China’s health food market reached a valuation of 400 billion yuan ($57.24 billion) in 2018, marking it the 2nd largest health food market in the world[1].
The turnover of health food products on mainstream e-commerce platforms exceeded 45 billion yuan ($6.44 billion) in 2019[2].
During the 2019 11/11 Shopping Festival, health food was the most popular imported product sold on Tmall[3].
Coronavirus’ impacts on health food sales
The spread of the epidemic has boosted the sales of health foods on both online e-commerce platforms and in offline pharmacies. Tmall Global has launched a special shopping page for the coronavirus to promote the sale of health foods, vitamins and nutrient supplements, popular health foods, and probiotics. Vitamin C from Australia and instant bird's nest from Thailand are among the most popular products, with monthly sales exceeding 6000 pieces.
Nutritional guidance from the experts advises people to consume proper levels of vitamins, minerals, and deep-sea fish oil along with some other health foods scientifically substantiated to bolster the immune system[4]. As the impact of the epidemic continues, we expect sales of health foods and nutrient supplements to keep pace.
