China's nutrition industry enjoys robust growth and will be valued at 300 billion yuan (US$37 billion) in the coming five years, a senior official has predicted.

 

Nutritious products, including nutrients of various forms and special food tailored for diabetes and obesity patients, enjoy massive potentials in China and new products are rolled out every now and then, said Hui Lusheng, deputy director of State Food and Drug Administration at a recent conference in Beihai, a city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

 

She said domestic food manufacturers should respond to the growing market demand and restructure their product lines.

 

A company in Ningbo, a production base in east China's Zhejiang Province, invested 17 million yuan (US$2.1 million) to standardize its bean sprouts production and ensure food safety. "Their product sells so well now that it has set up a soybean base in northeast China," said Hui.

 

Yucheng, a city in eastern Shandong Province, has made xylose, a white crystalline sugar used in diabetic diet, out of corn. Its annual sales total 2 billion yuan (US$250 million) and annual foreign currency income hits US$45 million.

 

"Standardized production is essential in boosting agricultural industrialization and enhancing food safety," acknowledged Hui. "In China, cereal products make up only two percent of all the processed food, while in the developed nations, 70 percent of farm produce on is are processed."

 

The same is true of fruits and vegetables. China's per capita fruit juice consumption averages only 1 liter, compared with the world average of 10 liters and 20 liters reported in the developed nations, she said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2005)