What is the market size and development trend of special dietary foods?

Special dietary foods include formula foods for special medical purposes, and their market size is showing a rapid growth trend. In the future, under the influence of policy support, demand push and other factors, it is expected to continue to maintain a good development trend. Here is a specific introduction:

market size

Global scale: The global market size of formula foods for special medical purposes increased from 58.3 billion yuan to 89.64 billion yuan between 2014 and 2022, with an average annual compound growth rate of 6.3%. It is expected that by 2027, the global market size will exceed 100 billion yuan and reach 111.06 billion yuan.

China's scale: The market for formula foods for special medical purposes in China is growing rapidly, with a scale of nearly 15 billion yuan in 2023 and over 16 billion yuan in 2024. In 2023, China's global market share is 14.25%. According to data, the Chinese market is expected to surpass the 20 billion mark by 2025 and reach a scale of 5.2 billion US dollars by 2030, with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 14.16% from 2025 to 2030.

development trend

Increased policy support: The country has gradually established "1+2" and "1+6" regulations and standards for the special medical food industry, continuously improving and optimizing industry norms and standards. If the "Four Entries" special action for special medical food in 2025 is included in the key work of market supervision in some provinces, and representatives and members propose to unify the coding standards for special medical food, it will promote the healthy and orderly development of the industry.

Market demand continues to grow: With the increasing aging of the global population, the proportion of people aged 60 and above in China has reached 21.1%. Hundreds of millions of elderly people, chronic disease patients, and postoperative rehabilitation populations have a strong demand for special medical foods. At the same time, the improvement of residents' health awareness, awareness and acceptance of special dietary foods will further expand market demand.

Industry competition intensifies: Currently, more than 60 domestic enterprises are expanding into the specialty medical food industry, with a continuous increase in registered enterprises and products, gradually occupying a dominant position. However, the overall competitive landscape has not yet been determined, and most enterprises are vying for market share. In the future, as the market size expands, it is expected that more companies will enter and competition will become more intense.

Product development tends to be diversified: formula foods for special medical purposes can be divided into infant formula foods for special medical purposes, full nutrition formula foods, specific full nutrition formula foods, and non full nutrition formula foods. Currently, non full nutrition products account for over 40% of the approved products in China. In the future, enterprises will develop more specific full nutrition formula foods for different disease groups and nutritional needs, and the product types will be more diverse.

Sales channel expansion: Currently, the sales of special medical food are mainly concentrated in offline hospitals and pharmacies. However, with the improvement of policies and the development of the industry, its sales path on the hospital side is expected to be further opened. At the same time, online channels will gradually be standardized and expanded, providing consumers with more convenient purchasing methods.