With a complete ban on the use of free-from claims as a result of the new national standards, the key for clean label food and drinks to navigate the next cycle will be to focus on health benefits. In the push and pull between health and self-indulgence, the goal for manufacturers of medicine food homology products will not only be to sell a functional or good-tasting product, but also to focus on brand building based on emotional comfort and relatability to everyday life.
Qianqian Ji, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
In this Report:
The search criteria used in Mintel’s GNPD for clean label food and drinks are food and drinks containing Minus, Natural or Free-from claim types.
The search criteria used in Mintel’s GNPD for medicine and food homology (MFH) or Chinese nourishing and yangsheng food and drinks are food and drinks containing ingredients from the list of substances for both medicinal and food use published by the National Health Commission.
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Executive summary
- Key topics covered in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Key consumer insights
- Healthy eating concepts that transcend cycles: clean labels
- Healthy eating concepts that transcend cycles: MFH/yangsheng
- Future opportunities
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The market
- Market factors
- Consumers’ pursuit of clean and natural products spurring evolution of food and drink innovation
- Zero added ≠truly clean, safety incidents expose shortcomings in the use of clean labels
- Clean label controversies in the soy sauce market lead consumers to question other food and drinks
- Graph 1: free-from claims that consumers consider the most important, 2025
- Clean eating concept prompting consumers to think about MFH products
- Graph 2: percentage of consumers who have consumed the following Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products, 2024 vs 2025
- Battle between food delivery platforms having a major impact on people’s health
- New product trends
- Minus, Natural and Free-from claims lead growth, while Plus and Functional claims show less potential
- Graph 3: claim types in new food and drink products, 2022-25
- Innovation in food and drinks combining clean labels with health benefits shows promise
- Graph 4: top 15 overlapping functional claims in new food and drink products with Minus, Natural or Free-from* claims, 2022-25
- Food and drink products combining clean labels and health benefits: examples
- A balance has yet to be found between clean labels and nutritional fortification
- Graph 5: overlapping Plus claims in new food and drink products with Minus, Natural or Free-from* claims, 2022-25
- Nutritionally enhanced and clean food and drink products: examples
- Clean labels are key to regaining consumer confidence in snacks and bakery products
- Graph 6: top food and drink categories with Minus, Natural or Free-from* claims**, 2022-25
- Snacks and bakery products with clean recipes: examples
- Innovation in MFH products continues to advance in the China market
- Graph 7: proportion of new foods, drinks and vitamins & dietary supplements containing MFH ingredients, 1997-2025
- Clean labels changing the focus of the MFH food and drink category
- Graph 8: claim types used in new food and drink products that contain MFH* ingredients, 2022-25
- Clean MFH food and drink products: examples
- Rapid growth in innovation on MFH food and drinks for brain and nervous system health
- Graph 9: top 10 functional claims in new food and drink products containing MFH ingredients, 2022-25
- MFH food and drink products that enhance brain and nervous system health: examples
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The consumer
- Consumer attention towards nutrition information in food and drinks
- Consumers increasingly care about nutrition labelling, with rising interest in protein content
- Potential for further education on carbohydrate, fat and sodium content
- Graph 10: types of nutrition information consumers are interested in, 2022 vs 2025
- Consumers most often look at other nutrition information alongside carbohydrates (including sugars), fats (including trans fats) and sodium
- Graph 11: types of nutrition information that consumers prefer to look at in combination (TGI analysis), 2025
- Carbohydrate and trans fat focus indicates awareness of calorie/fat/sodium intake, sodium focus suggests management of health risks
- Emotional and brain health is trending
- Graph 12: health improvement needs, 2025
- Consumers who pay attention to protein content place greater value on emotional/neurological health
- Graph 13: health improvement needs of consumers who focus on different types of nutrition information (TGI analysis), 2025
- Attitudes towards clean labels
- New national standards rewrite the rules of the game for clean labelling
- New national standards for clean labels
- Clean label food and drink products in global markets increasingly focus on health benefits
- Graph 14: new food and drink products with both ‘clean label’ claims and functional claims, 2023-25
- Advocate health benefits to rekindle consumers’ relationship with clean label food and drinks
- Graph 15: concerns around clean labels, 2025
- Innovation in clean beauty offers insights for clean food and drinks
- Mutually exclusive relationship between health/nutrition and the taste experience
- Graph 16: concerns around clean labels, by concerns around clean labels, 2025
- Focusing on function and nutrition, clean food and drinks target the overworked generation
- Graph 17: concerns about health/nutrition of clean food and drinks among consumers with different health improvement needs (TGI analysis), 2025
- With the focus on health benefits, products with high vitamin/mineral content need to emphasise visual appeal
- Graph 18: types of nutrition information that consumers with different concerns about clean food and drinks are interested in (TGI analysis), 2025
- Fruit juices offer inspiration for the nutritional aesthetics of high vitamin/mineral clean food and drinks
- Food and drink innovations offering clean labels and emotional comfort can satisfy the needs of the emotionally lonely
- Graph 19: concerns about the taste experience of clean food and drinks among consumers with different personal circumstances (TGI analysis), 2025
- Graph 20: selected personal circumstances, by selected personal circumstances, 2025
- Example of clean label and emotional comfort: Lao Chuan Dong Mala Beef
- Attitudes toward Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products
- Consumer preferences for Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products overlap with clean eating concept
- Graph 21: usage of Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products, 2025
- Consumer preferences for Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products overlap with clean eating concept
- Graph 22: usage of Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products, 2025
- Clean label marketing may increase willingness to purchase Chinese nourishing and yangsheng snacks and drinks
- Graph 23: attitudes of consumers who have not tried but are interested in trying selected Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products towards clean food and drinks (TGI analysis), 2025
- Packaged Chinese nourishing and yangsheng food and drinks should focus on compatibility with modern life
- Graph 24: preferred formats for Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products, 2025
- Re-contextualising health benefits and lifestyles is key to improving market education and driving purchases
- Graph 25: top five barriers to learning about Chinese nourishing and yangsheng methods, 2023
- Graph 26: top five barriers to purchasing of Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products, 2025
- Focus on re-contextualising health benefits of Chinese yangsheng products, not increasing product types
- Graph 27: barriers to purchasing of Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products, 2025
- Replenishing qi, nourishing blood and clearing dampness are consumers’ top yangsheng demands…
- Graph 28: desired benefits of Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products, 2025
- …but consumers are not particularly sensitive to their representative modern health functions
- Graph 29: health needs of consumers interested in purchasing Chinese nourishing and yangsheng products with different functions (TGI analysis), 2025
- The value of traditional Chinese health benefits to re-focus on relatability to everyday life and emotional comfort
- Frame supplementing qi and clearing dampness within the context of modern urban lifestyles
- Graph 30: personal status of consumers who are interested in various Chinese nourishing and yangsheng health benefits (TGI analysis), 2025
- Consider combining traditional Chinese health benefits with emotional feelings
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Issues and insights
- A new approach to showcasing the value of high protein: emotional/brain health
- Emotional and brain health becoming a new focus for showcasing the value of high protein
- Graph 31: functional claims related to neurological/emotional health used in new high/added protein food and drink products, 2022-25
- The value of high protein in emotional/brain health: aid to life’s challenges
- Graph 32: personal status of all consumers vs consumers interested in protein content in packaged food and drinks, 2025
- Examples of high protein products and concepts
- Food brands should promote the value of natural proteins for emotional/brain health
- A new approach to showcasing clean labels: focus on health benefits, particularly for the overworked generation
- Advocating health benefits and promoting clean labels are the new rules of the game
- Clean-label food and drinks can focus on health benefits for the overworked generation of consumers
- Shift from Minus to Better-for-You approach: Fundamentally Nutritious trend leads to innovation in clean energy ingredients
- Future: opt for low-GI clean energy ingredients that provide long-lasting energy and endurance
- The evolution of MFH: from modern health functions to everyday relatability and emotional comfort
- MFH trend prediction: from functional products to a focus on lifestyles and emotional support
- Becoming a part of everyday life: what do I need right now?
- Provide care for the soul: from product innovation to emotional innovation
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Appendix – methodology
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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