REVIEW | 7th Forum on Foods for Special Medical Purpose
Time: 14:00-16:45, June 20th
Location: Conference Room M3-03, Mezzanine, NECC (Shanghai)
Organizers: CCCMHPIE / Sinoexpo Informa Markets
Co-Organizer: The Dietary Supplement Professional Committee of CCCMHPIE
With the changes in China’s social structure and driven by policies, especially affected by the aging of the population and the development of nutritional departments in hospitals, foods for special medical purpose will play an increasingly important role in national health.
The forum was successfully held on the afternoon of June 20th. Nearly 100 experts, associations, leading enterprises from China CDC, China Nutrition and Health Food Association, Nestlé (China), Xi’an Libang, Abbott, Daisy, etc. participated in the event to exchange the latest policies and talk about the development of the industry. The topics covered the R&D of FSMP, the application of FSMP in elderly market, FSMP market analysis, the production process, etc.
Mr. Tan Shengcai pointed out in his speech that 2023 is the first year to implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. After three years of epidemic, the nutrition and health industry has also entered a new stage of development. In current special medical market, investments and efforts in scientific research have been increased, so that more products have started to enter the market. With the deepening of consumers’ understanding on FSMP and the routine use by medical institutions, the FSMP industry is expected to achieve rapid growth and become a new blue ocean with great potential in the field of big health.
At the forum, Ms. Deng Shaowei, an industry expert, brought pertinent guidance and in-depth thinking on the R&D of FSMP on the basis of the study of national management of FSMP industry. She pointed out that R&D enterprises should understand the relevant management policies and standards and the nutritional needs of target groups. She also emphasized the key points that companies need to pay attention to in formula R&D, processing, quality control, clinical trials, etc.
Zhang Jian, Director of the Nutrition and Health Institute of China CDC, introduced the application of FSMP in the elderly care market. He pointed out that China has entered the era of aging, and the elderly are the most seriously affected by chronic diseases, and the co-morbidity rate among the elderly is 44.5%. In addition, with reduced food intake and insufficient intake of nutrients such as vitamins and proteins, the malnutrition of the elderly population is particularly serious. Therefore, the industry and enterprises need to carefully study the characteristics of the elderly’s physical function and their demand for FSMP to further improve the standards, encourage real demand-oriented innovations, strengthen professional exchanges, and promote practical applications.
Guo Haifeng, Secretary General of China Nutrition and Health Food Association, stated in detail the current situation of the FSMP industry and introduced how pharmaceutical enterprises could enter the industry. At present, many enterprises look forward to the prospect of FSMP industry. To enter the industry, pharmaceutical enterprises have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are mainly reflected in the channel advantages, technical advantages, financial advantages, and brand advantages, meanwhile, the disadvantages lie in the lack of understanding of the complexity of the food, the relevant food regulations and standards, and the insufficient large-scale production capacity. Enterprises are expected to work together to continuously develop new areas of FSMP.
Ms. Yan Tingyan from Nestlé (China) mentioned that China’s FSMP market is characterized by a small market size, fast growth rate, few varieties, high requirements for market access and strict regulations. Last year in July, Nestlé’s “Oral Impact” became the first tumor-specific FSMP product in China, which aroused widespread concern in the industry. She introduced the significance of FSMP for malnourished patients with real cases and experience, which is also helpful to save medical costs.
Dr. Yang Hong from Xi’an Libang, who has been on the front line of product development for many years, gave an introduction to the details and matters needing attention in the R&D process of FSMP, and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of different processes, as well as the key procedures in the validation tests.
The “7th Forum on Foods for Special Medical Purpose” is an industry exchange platform for discussions and development, jointly established by CCCMHPIE, Sinoexpo Informa Markets, experts, scholars, and colleagues in the industry, which demonstrated the future trends of FSMP from the angles of market, R&D, practical application, etc. The presentations were brilliant, and the delegates gained a lot, which made the forum a great success.
*Text edited and translated from WeChat@hncexpo
