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- What the guide says: targets, protein and beef
- Healthy China 2030: the public policy context
- Global context: how the US guidelines also revisited the role of protein
- What the new Chinese consumer wants
- Brazilian beef holds a strategic position in this market
Increasing intake of high-quality proteins has become one of the priorities of China’s nutrition policy for the coming years. This directive is at the heart of the Food and Nutrition Development Guideline 2025–2030, considered the most comprehensive document the country has produced in this area, as reported by China Daily. Although China had published nutritional guidelines before — in 1993, 2001 and 2014 — this is the first version to connect production and nutrition in a single strategy, aligning public health objectives, food security and protein supply by integrating the entire food chain, from agricultural production to processing, distribution and final consumption.
Prepared jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Food and Nutrition Development Master Plan (2025–2030) sets per capita food consumption targets and guides the country’s actions through the end of the decade. The document translates into practical measures the directives of Central Document No. 1 of 2025 — the main annual strategic guidance issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on agriculture-related topics. For the first time, that document explicitly included stabilizing the beef and dairy sectors as an objective, signaling a shift in the Chinese government’s approach: it no longer treats these activities only as part of livestock development but recognizes them as strategic components of national food security. In this context, the nutrition plan details policies aimed at expanding the supply and consumption of high-quality beef protein through 2030.
The breadth of the plan reflects the country’s growing concern with the quality of its population’s diet and the ability of its food system to meet that demand in the coming decades, encompassing both food safety and food security on the agenda.
What the guide says: targets, protein and beef
The guide starts from a precise diagnosis: consumption of high-quality animal protein in China remains below recommended levels and far behind the standards of developed countries. FAO data from 2022, cited by the guide, show that daily intake of quality animal protein was only 48.7 g in China, while consumption is higher in other countries: 83.5 g in the US, 76.5 g in Australia and 53.8 g in Japan. This gap is the starting point of China’s nutrition agenda for the next five years, with clear targets through 2030.
Per capita consumption targets in China’s new dietary guidelines / 2030
| Food | Per capita consumption target (2030) |
| Meats (all sources) | 69 kg/person/year |
| Dairy | 47 kg/person/year |
| Seafood | 29 kg/person/year |
| Eggs | 23 kg/person/year |
| Legumes | 14 kg/person/year |
| Vegetables | 270 kg/person/year |
| Fruits | 130 kg/person/year |
The guide also directs authorities to “expand the supply and consumption of high-quality protein, stabilize cattle production and raise overall dairy consumption” — in addition to developing sustainable aquaculture and new soybean protein-based products. At the same time, it promotes healthier cooking methods, smart storage technologies and portion-control tools for salt, oil and sugar.
Healthy China 2030: the public policy context
The 2025 nutritional guide sits within a broader framework: the Healthy China 2030 Blueprint, launched in 2016 by the Central Committee of the Party and the State Council. It is a long-term strategic planning document that goes well beyond food. As detailed in the review published on PMC, Healthy China 2030 defines 15 sectoral public health campaigns, with the “Healthy Diet” campaign ranking second in priority.
The plan covers everything from reducing environmental pollution and promoting physical activity to combating chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular disease, which have advanced with rapid urbanization.
It is in this context that quality protein assumes the role of preventive medicine: the guide explicitly recommends that overweight populations control total caloric intake and increase consumption of quality protein, while populations with malnutrition or anemia should increase animal protein sources. The logic is systemic and beef, because of its nutritional density and bioavailability, fits within this agenda.
Global context: how the US guidelines also revisited the role of protein
China’s nutritional guidelines are not alone in this reorientation. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030, published in January 2026 by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), also introduced an unprecedented emphasis on “real foods” such as meats, eggs, omega-3-rich fish and full-fat dairy as sources of protein and healthy fats. The convergence between the world’s two largest economies around dietary protein quality signals a global trend and a strategic opportunity for meat exporters.
What the new Chinese consumer wants
Public policy finds ground already prepared by the market. PwC China’s Voice of the Consumer 2025 report — which maps consumption trends in Mainland China and Hong Kong — identifies that Chinese consumers actively prioritize products with nutritional benefits, specific dietary needs and organic origin, even surpassing the global average on this criterion. The “eco-sporty wellness advocate” profile is one of the five archetypes identified by the report and represents a consumer who combines concern for health, sustainability and food quality in purchasing decisions.
This movement is confirmed by the For Love of Meat study by McKinsey, which mapped meat consumption habits of one thousand Chinese consumers: about two-thirds reported having purchased beef in the previous month. In addition, the survey shows that among higher-income consumers, beef is often perceived as a healthier option than pork. Its higher price reinforces the perception of it being a premium product, while historical episodes related to pork food safety continue to influence the preferences of some consumers.
The study also identifies as one of the five central trends in the Chinese meat market the shift from lower- to higher-perceived-quality protein consumption, with beef as the main beneficiary of this transition.
In this scenario, attributes such as “natural” and “hormone-free” have ceased to be niche differentiators and have become active search criteria, especially among upper-middle and upper urban classes, who, according to McKinsey, account for 39% of urban households and 55% of total urban consumption in China.
Read also: From price to sustainability: what is changing in meat purchasing habits in the United States
Brazilian beef holds a strategic position in this market
The convergence between Chinese nutrition policy and the profile of the new consumer creates a window of opportunity for exporters of beef with verifiable traceability and certification, such as Minerva Foods, the largest exporter of beef in South America. The company operates plants authorized to export to China in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, operating precisely in the segment the Chinese market is prioritizing: traced-origin beef, with audited socio-environmental compliance and verifiable welfare protocols.
For the global beef protein market, the message of the Chinese guidelines is clear: the world’s largest consumer market is institutionalizing demand for quality protein. Those who can produce higher-quality beef and ensure consistent supply to meet that demand will be in a privileged position in the next phase of growth in beef consumption in China.
Read also: The beef traceability pilot project created by Brazil and China
References:
Food and Nutrition Development Guideline (2025-2030) — China Academy of Engineering
For love of meat: Five trends in China that meat executives must grasp — McKinsey & Company (2023)
Guideline targets healthier diets — China Daily (April 2025)
Healthy Diet Campaign in Healthy China Initiative 2019–2030 — PMC / Frontiers in Public Health
Novas diretrizes alimentares dos EUA 2025-2030 — My Minerva Foods
Voice of the Consumer 2025 Global Survey — China Report — PwC China (December 2025)
