The food and medicine homology industry faces multiple challenges, and the restructuring of the industrial chain accelerates health upgrades.

Pain points in the food-medicine homology industry: unclear scientific mechanisms and standardization challenges

As a product of the integration of traditional Chinese medicine culture and modern health concepts, the market size of food-medicine homology has continued to expand in recent years, but the industry's development still faces core bottlenecks. Cai Jinchái, a representative of the National People's Congress, pointed out that the current food-medicine homology industry has significant shortcomings in the research of action mechanisms, the definition of medicinal and food materials classification, and individual adaptation.

1. Weak scientific basis, efficacy evaluation system needs improvement

Modern scientific mechanism research on food-medicine homology products is lagging, and most products lack clinical trial data support. Efficacy evaluation relies on traditional experience rather than quantitative indicators. For example, the interaction mechanism between the active ingredients of medicinal materials such as goji berries and astragalus and human metabolism has not yet been fully clarified, leading to easy controversy over product function claims.

2. Blurred classification boundaries, lagging regulatory standards

The definition of some medicinal materials between "food" and "medicine" is unclear. For example, Panax notoginseng and Gastrodia elata, after being included in the "Food-Medicine Homology Catalogue," still face differences in local standards. In addition, current regulations lack unified standards for the production processes and additive use of food-medicine homology products, and companies often encounter compliance risks due to cross-regional sales.

3. Prominent contradiction between individual adaptation and large-scale production

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes "treating according to the syndrome differentiation," but industrialized production requires high standardization. For example, the effects of the same prescription on people with different physiques are significantly different, while enterprises often simplify the compatibility to reduce costs, weakening the product's targeting.

4. Uneven raw material quality, lack of traceability system

The quality of Chinese medicinal materials is affected by many factors such as origin, variety, and harvesting period. Some enterprises use inferior raw materials to reduce costs. A 2024 Shanghai Municipal Consumer Protection Commission inspection showed that only 2 out of 60 best-selling food-medicine homology products passed the inspection, and problems such as raw material adulteration and heavy metal exceeding standards frequently occurred.

Industry chain restructuring direction: technology-driven and full-chain upgrading

In the face of challenges, the food-medicine homology industry is restructuring the industrial chain through technological innovation and model innovation. Zhongyan Puhua predicts that the average annual growth rate of the industry will reach 12% from 2025 to 2030, and the market size is expected to exceed one trillion yuan. Future development directions will focus on the following areas:

1. Technology-driven standardized production

- Precise research and development: Utilizing genomics, metabolomics, and other technologies to analyze the active ingredients of medicinal materials and establish efficacy evaluation models. For example, ultramicro powdering and cell wall breaking extraction technologies can improve the extraction rate of effective ingredients and enhance product stability.

- Intelligent production: Introducing AI formula optimization systems to generate personalized solutions based on user health data, and using blockchain technology to achieve full traceability of raw material planting, processing, and circulation.

2. Industry-academia-research platforms empower innovation

Representative Cai Jinchái suggested that the government should establish special funds to support industry-academia-research cooperation and build open R&D platforms. For example, Panpan Food has cooperated with universities to develop "Astragalus membranaceus and Codonopsis pilosula yogurt", verifying its immune regulation function through clinical trials, and promoting the rapid transformation of scientific research results.

3. Full-chain supervision and standard upgrading

- Cross-departmental coordination: The State Administration for Market Regulation needs to cooperate with the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to improve the supervision system from raw materials to the terminal, clarify the classification of food-medicine homology products, and define the boundaries of functional claims.

- International standard output: Referring to the EU's phytomedicine registration regulations, promoting the alignment of China's food-medicine homology standards with international standards, and helping enterprises to expand overseas markets.

4. Cross-border integration and scenario innovation

- "Food-medicine homology +" model: Integrating with medical, tourism, and health preservation industries to develop personalized dietary therapy solutions and health tourism products. For example, a company in Yunnan has launched a "Panax notoginseng health journey" based on local medicinal material resources, with annual revenue growth exceeding 30%.

- Younger consumer scenarios: Launching ready-to-eat and snack-like products for Generation Z, such as ginseng energy bars and Poria cocos meal replacement powder, through precise marketing on social media.

Corporate thinking: Houde Health Group's strategic layout

Houde Health Research Institute believes that enterprises need to use "technology + culture" dual-wheel drive to cope with industry changes:

- Building technological barriers: Investing in the construction of GMP-certified production bases and adopting advanced technologies such as supercritical CO₂ extraction to ensure product quality and efficacy stability.

- Outputting cultural value: Cooperating with traditional Chinese medicine institutions to carry out popular science activities, conveying the concept of "treating before disease", such as publishing the "Food-Medicine Homology White Paper", analyzing classic prescriptions and modern scientific verification results.

- Jointly building an ecosystem: Establishing an industrial alliance with farmers and research institutions to promote the large-scale planting of authentic medicinal materials, controlling quality from the source and reducing procurement costs.

Conclusion

The food-medicine homology industry is in a critical period of transformation and upgrading. Only by solving the problems of science, standards, and personalization can we achieve the leap from "traditional health supplements" to "precise health". Houde Health Group will continue to deepen technological innovation and industrial chain collaboration to inject impetus into the high-quality development of the industry.

(News sources are compiled from: Zhongyan Puhua Industry Research Institute, suggestions from Cai Jinchái, a representative of the National People's Congress, and the "2025 China Food-Medicine Homology Market Development Status and Investment Value Analysis Report", etc.)