Germany topples Australia as 2nd largest health foods exporter to China in 2024

The value of Germany’s health foods exports to China between 2023 and 2024 increased by 57.84 per cent to US$1.165bn.

This is according to new data from China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products (CCCMHPIE).

That of Australia was US$1.059bn, which was an increase from year 2023’s US$993 million.

China’s five biggest health foods exporters last year was led by the US, followed by Germany, Australia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong China.

Total imports of health foods into China was valued at USD$7.75bn last year, a year-on-year increase of 15.1 per cent.

Nearly 60 per cent (59.40 per cent) of the total import value last year came from its five biggest exporters.

While the list remained largely the same as past years, Germany surpassing Australia was a notable difference.

Both Australia and the US used to be the two biggest contenders for China’s health foods market.

Between 2018 and 2020, Australia toppled the US to become the number one health foods exporter to China, with imports rising steadily from US$660m to US$926m in those years.

The US took back the title from 2021.

Last year, Australia’s industry body Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA) also said in an interview with NutraIngredients-Asia that it hoped to win the title back from the US.

In its report, the CCCMHPIE said that imports of German health foods have seen faster growth last year, arising from greater consumer trust and a good brand foundation.

“In terms of the import market, the US, Germany, Australia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong China were the country’s five largest origins of [health foods] imports.

“By virtue of its outstanding product quality, German products are deeply trusted by China consumers and enjoy good brand foundation in China. Therefore, in year 2024, there was a greater growth in China’s imports of German products.

“The value of imports from Germany has also surpassed that of Australia, rising to the second place with a year-on-year growth of 57.84 per cent,” said the report.

Continued growth from European brands

According to the report, European health foods brands have continued to gain favour among Chinese consumers.

Notable examples include the Netherlands, UK, France, and Italy.

In contrast, imports from Japan and Malaysia have been on a downward trend.

The Netherlands, South Korea, New Zealand, UK, and Malaysia made up the remaining top 10 health foods exporters to China last year.

Fish oil, seal oil imports up, while bird’s nest went down

Fish oil, seal oil, and royal jelly were some of the fast growing health foods imports to China.

China consumers’ interest in seal oil is not new.

In 2020, we reported how China’s seal oil imports had jumped 213.9 per cent, and was one of the fastest growing health foods alongside edible bird’s nest.

Seal oil is used in nutraceuticals for its omega-3 content and is produced in Norway and Canada.

In contrast, edible bird’s nest imports have dropped.

According to data published on Chinese Bird Nest Traceability Management Service Platform run by Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine (CAIQ), China’s import of edible bird’s nest was down 2.8 per cent in volume to 541.7 tonnes last year.

Of which, majority of the imports came from Indonesia at 73.9 per cent, followed by Malaysia at 25.3 per cent. The remaining came from Thailand and Vietnam.