On 17 March, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), National Health Commission, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) jointly released the China Food and Nutrition Development Outline (2025–2030).
The plan aims to enhance public health by promoting a more balanced and nutritious diet, addressing challenges such as unbalanced consumption, nutrient deficiencies, and excessive intake of certain foods.
Key highlights include:
1. Balanced food consumption targets by 2030:
- 14 kg of beans
- 69 kg of meat
- 23 kg of eggs
- 47 kg of dairy
- 29 kg of aquatic products
- 270 kg of vegetables
- 130 kg of fruit per person annually
2. Daily nutritional goals:
- Energy intake: 2,150 kcal for men, 1,700 kcal for women.
- High-quality protein: 50% of daily protein intake.
- Dietary fiber: 25–30 grams per day.
- Reduced consumption of oil (25–30 g), salt (5 g), and added sugar (≤25 g) per day.
3. Encouraging dietary diversity, with increased consumption of beans, dairy, meat, fish, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, improving the nutritional quality of these products through better processing and supply chains.
For aquatic products, the Outline calls for expanding the production of fish, shrimp, crabs, and mollusks, along with the promotion of nutritional fish processing and cold storage technologies.
It also promotes the development of high-quality soybeans and encourages the processing of soy products with a focus on nutritional improvements.
To boost the intake of dietary fiber, the Outline aims to develop whole-grain products, and improve the flavor and digestibility of foods like oats, buckwheat, and barley.
4. Health-conscious food processing, with a focus on research into nutrient retention and the development of specialized products, such as fermented dairy or health-supporting foods.
5. Special focus on vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children, the elderly, and those in extreme environments (e.g., high altitudes or deep-sea conditions).
6. Promoting healthy cooking methods, reducing salt, oil, and sugar, and encouraging balanced meals through programs like nutritious school meals.
7. Building food and nutrition monitoring systems and a stronger regulatory framework to ensure food safety, emphasizing the importance of nutritional standards and food labeling.
8. Food security and sustainability, promoting green food production and integrating agriculture with environmental protection.
Chinese experts and researchers have long called for action on malnutrition (see for example the 2022 China Food and Nutrition Development Report). As the country has transitioned from undernutrition to challenges like malnutrition and hidden hunger, this new plan shifts the focus from mere caloric intake to nutritional quality and environmental sustainability.
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