China’s 2016 version of the national dietary guidelines, published by China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, for the first time includes suggestions on daily added sugar intake, which should be “no more than 50 grams”.

The target excludes natural sugars occurring in products such as fruit and vegetables.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Compared with the previous guidelines, which were published in 2007, the new version of the guidelines gives more details on healthy eating. For example, the 2007 version suggested between 300g and 500g of vegetables should be consumed daily by adult consumers, while the new version specifically suggests “deeply coloured vegetables” – essentially green vegetables – should account for at least 50% of an adult consumer’s daily vegetable intake.

The daily recommended amount of animal meat intake has been lowered. The guidance suggests 40g to 75g is consumed, compared with 50g to 75g suggested in 2007. The daily recommended fish and shellfish products intake has also gone down – from the previous 75g (in 2007) to the current 40g, while it says the minimum egg intake should be 40g, up from the previous 25g.

The new guidelines suggest drinking at least 1,500 millilitres (ml) of water a day, compared with 1,200ml in the 2007 version. Suggestions regarding the average daily consumption of dairy products remain the same at 300g.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact