Firms zero in on China’s metabolic health market amid government, GLP-1 interest
Metabolic health is trending in China, fuelled by GLP-1 use and the government earmarking weight management as a priority at this year’s ‘Two Sessions’ legislative meeting.
Some of the companies that have identified metabolic health as an area of focus for their China business are IFF and Probi.
China’s Biogrowing taps on emerging interest in probiotics for oral health
China probiotics firm Biogrowing has set its sights on the oral health category amid an uptick in interest from consumers in the country.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia at the Food Ingredients China 2025 (FIC) trade show held in Shanghai between March 17 and 19, Biogrowing said oral health would be one of its key focus for the China market this year.
One of the reasons behind this strategic focus is that market demand for oral health product was fast-rising, especially on social commerce such as Douyin (China’s TikTok).
GenieBiome’s new synbiotic targets increasing mental, mood disorders in children and adolescents
Hong Kong biotech firm GenieBiome’s latest synbiotic product is aimed at improving the brain, emotional and digestive health of children and adolescents, a demographic said to be increasingly experiencing mental and mood disorders.
Called G-NiiB Happy Child, the product was developed using Asian database accumulated by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for more than 10 years.
The focus on mental and digestive health stems from an increasing occurrence of related conditions among children and adolescents, as well as a growing demand for non-drug solutions.
Communicating modern science, product benefits, crucial for China’s ‘food as medicines’ exports
China’s ‘foods as medicines’ category needs more modern scientific evidence and better ways of communicating their benefits in order to drive exports.
This was a point highlighted by Professor Che Hui Lian from the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University during her presentation at FIC 2025.
However, she noted that scientific evidence around health benefit claims requires time to be accumulated and challenges would be abound.
Haleon reaps strong results from localised strategies in China
Haleon’s localisation strategy for its China supplement products has been key to its overall APAC business success, with the firm also announcing a focus on healthy ageing in the country.
In FY24, bone and joint health brand Caltrate and multivitamin brand Centrum have reported “double-digit” and “high-single” digit sales growth in APAC, and these were largely driven by sales from China.
Localisation of products and services was a key factor driving its growth in China.
