Light meal biz does heavy lifting of health

Segment grows as fitness-lovers savor salads, eggs, bars and smoothies

It has been nearly a year since Chen Chu, 35, a financial consultant in Beijing, began underlining the quality of food intake as the key to good health and fitness. Three light meals, characterized by salads, low-calorie smoothies, boiled eggs and corns, are all that Chen consumes every day, throughout the year.

They don't come cheap, by the way. Therein hangs a fascinating tale－one of the rising business of light meals in China.

An avocado-and-chicken salad sets Chen back by at least 50 yuan ($7.85). A special smoothie costs another 30 yuan. In all, a light meal might cost up to 80 yuan. Stated differently, on average Chen spends about 150 yuan per day－54,000 yuan per year－on carefully selected light meals.

In China, there are an estimated 10 million consumers such as Chen, particularly in urban areas, who see great value in light meals, according to market research firms.

"The reason that drives me to stick to such eating habits is that I realized only these can make me feel healthy, especially when I have to deal with high-pressure work situations on a sustained basis," Chen said.

A growing number of white-collar employees in China now opt for low-calorie, healthy and high-quality lifestyles, industry insiders said.

Consumers such as Chen are willing to pay extra for light foods, a concept spawned by the afternoon tea culture in Europe in the 17th century and refers to food with low sugar, fat or salt, exemplified by salads.

According to market consultancy New Catering Big Data, sales revenue of the country's salad market exceeded 9 billion yuan last year, with consumers growing from 11.8 million in 2020 to 18.2 million in 2021.

The past few years also witnessed a new trend of consumers willing to spend big on meal replacement, which refers to products like drinks, energy bars and soups, which are intended as substitutes for main courses.

In the past five years, China's meal replacement market quickly expanded at an average annual growth rate of over 30 percent, and sales are expected to reach 120 billion yuan by the end of this year, according to market consultancy Euromonitor International.

With such high growth rates, investors have been more than willing to back businesses in the segment. From 2018 to 2021, firms in the light meal sector saw several rounds of funding, according to Zero2IPO Research, a financial services data provider.

Last year, startups such as Dongchi, Smeal and Ffit8 received big injections from investors, including some renowned players such as MatrixPartners China and IDG Capital.

"The growing popularity of the meal replacement market is mainly because more consumers are increasingly aware of their health, and afraid of gaining weight or getting serious diseases," said Jason Yu, general manager of market consultancy Kantar Worldpanel Greater China.

Chronic conditions such as insomnia, obesity and diseases related to unhealthy lifestyles are becoming more common among younger and middle-aged Chinese.

A report from the British Medical Journal said the prevalence of diabetes in China, for instance, has reached 2 percent among people aged 18 to 29, and 6.3 percent among those aged 30 to 39.

"Also, many of them face more pressure from life and work, which forces them to care more about their health. Widening social media channels increase their anxiety as well and make them more aware of it," Yu said.