Investing in health
Food safety and health are major concerns among Chinese adults surveyed by Mintel. Half of Chinese respondents say they are most concerned about the safety of food products, 42% about their personal or their family’s health, and 41% about pollution. Elsewhere in the region, shoppers in South Korea and Japan are now more cautious when shopping due to concerns about food safety. Thus, consumers are also are paying more attention to product packaging; for some this includes country of origin, ingredient statement, calorie content, and nutritional effects.
Consumers are already taking steps to improve their health. Some 83% of urban Chinese consumers who have purchased vitamins and supplements have done so to help ward off illnesses or improve immunity.
Furthermore, half take vitamins and supplements to compensate for poor eating habits, which is more than the one-quarter of vitamin, mineral, and supplement users in the United States who take the products for the same reason.