According to the data analysis of the World Bank, as of 2022, the proportion of China's elderly population aged 65 and above will be 13.72%. With the accelerating trend of aging, the National Bureau of Statistics predicts that the aging population will reach 370 million in 2030, accounting for 25.5% of the total population, and will step into the super-aging society.

As global aging intensifies, the senior food market is gradually becoming a huge business opportunity. Japan, as the most serious aging country in the world, has rich experience in the development of senior food, and its regulations and policies on senior food are also relatively perfect. In this article, we will analyse the functional food for the elderly in the Japanese market and discuss its significance for the development of food for the elderly in China.

Silver economy: trillion market to be developed

Behind the aging society is the silver hair economy, which should not be underestimated. The report "Research on the Development of China's Aging Industry and Indicator System" predicts that the total consumption of China's elderly population will reach 12 trillion yuan to 15.5 trillion yuan in 2030, and it is expected to reach 40 trillion yuan to 69 trillion yuan in 2050, and the ratio of the country's GDP will be increased to 12.2% to 20.7%. This indicates that the aging industry, including senior care services, healthcare, and senior food, will face huge market demand.

In addition, according to the White Paper on China's Food Consumption Trends and Innovations from 2019 to 2020, the annual per capita living consumption of the elderly in China is RMB 15,560, of which food consumption accounts for 39 per cent, and the senior food market has huge potential.

However, at present, China's food market for the elderly is mainly concentrated in the field of health care products, and compared with children's food, women's food and other segments of the market, the product range is single, mainly in the form of "brewing food", which is far from being able to meet the needs of the elderly in terms of nutrition, texture, and sensory and other aspects. Therefore, it is necessary to further develop food products that meet the needs of the elderly in order to fill the gap in the market.

Food Development for the Elderly in the Japanese Market

Studies have pointed out that the development of special foods mainly focuses on satisfying nutritional needs and textural characteristics [1]. For the elderly as a special group, their food design should also follow this principle. From the perspective of the Japanese market, this is fully reflected and practiced.

Japanese Nursing Care Food

Elderly people generally face problems such as tooth loss, weakened bite force, reduced salivary secretion, insufficient strength of oral muscles, and decreased coordination and synergism, which leads to decreased mastication ability and inability to chew conventional foods, so rational adjustment of textural properties of geriatric foods is of great significance to the dietary safety of the elderly.

Szczesniak classified the textural properties of food into mechanical, geometric and other properties. Generally, the modifiers for special food textural properties (including senior food) mainly include: hardness, viscosity, adhesion and cohesion, etc. The commonly used terms for special food textural properties are soft, mushy and sticky.

In response to the special dietary needs of the elderly, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan has enacted the Health Promotion Law, which includes special dietary foods for the elderly, called "intermediate care" foods or smile-care foods. In terms of the texture of the food, the food is classified according to "hardness," "viscosity," and "swallowing power," and labelled in different colours to make it easier for the elderly to choose, and more intuitive and easier to purchase and use. It is more intuitive and convenient for them to purchase and use.

As of 1 February 2024, there are 51 companies in Japan that have been licensed to use the Smile Care Food Identification Mark, with a total of 224 products licensed. The demand for care food in Japan continues to expand as the market for senior food in Japan reached ¥169.1 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach ¥204.6 billion in 2025, according to a study on the Japanese senior food market by Fuji Keizai of Soga Matei Bioscience, Inc.

Ajinomoto Co., Ltd. has launched a series of milk drinks with 8g of protein per 100mL, as well as containing 200 kcal of high energy, which meets the Blue Label intermediate care food need to comply with the standards of energy and protein (energy ≥ 100kcal/100g (or mL); protein ≥ 8.1g/100g or 4.1g/100mL (or kcal)).

A total of six intermediary food products conforming to the yellow labels identified as Yellow 4 and Yellow 3 have been launched by Alfalfa Co. They are suitable for people with swallowing disorders, and can be opened and consumed directly without heating or adding water.

In fact, in 2018, the National Health Commission released China's first national standard for senior food, the National Standard for Food Safety General Rules for Senior Foods (Draft for Public Comments), however, no official standard has been issued so far. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, the diets of the elderly in China are currently divided into three main categories: soft foods, semi-liquids and pastes, and when developing and designing foods for the elderly, several principles need to be followed:

Adjust the hardness of solid foods to adapt to the strength of the oral muscles and tongue muscles of the elderly to achieve safe chewing.

Increase the viscosity of liquid foods to avoid choking due to excessive food flow.

Reduce the application of fibre products to increase the speed of food digestion in the mouth.

Nutritional Health Needs of the Elderly

Health functional foods in Japan are divided into three main categories: specific health foods, functional labelled foods and nutritional functional foods. Among them, manufacturers of functional labelled foods are required to provide scientific evidence of the functionality and safety of the food and apply for permission from the relevant authorities.

According to Japan's White Paper on the Aging Society 2022, the main reasons why people aged 65 and above need long-term care are cognitive problems (18.1%) and cerebrovascular diseases (15%), followed by frailty due to advanced age (13.3%), fractures/falls (13%), and joint diseases (11%). Therefore, functional labelled foods for the elderly in Japan are mainly targeted at the three major health needs of improving cognitive function, lowering the three highs and maintaining bone and joint health. 

1、Improve cognitive function

Cognitive disorders are medically known as cognitive disorders. Cognitive disorders are pathological processes in which there are abnormalities in the brain's higher intelligence processing related to learning, memory, and thinking and judgement as described above, resulting in severe learning and memory disorders accompanied by aphasia or dysfunction, or dementia or dysarthria. According to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, it is estimated that by 2025 there will be more than 7 million people suffering from cognitive disorders in Japan.

Popular Ingredients: DHA, EPA, β-lactogen, ergothioneine, lutein, zeaxanthin, flavonoid glycosides (Ginkgo biloba), terpene lactones (Ginkgo biloba), astaxanthin, phosphatidylserine (soybeans), ginsenosides Rg1, Rb1, and Rg3, condensed phospholipids (chickens), bittersweet acid (aged hops), imidazodipeptide, reduced coenzyme Q10, curcumin, bifidobacterium MCC1274 , 7 Essential Amino Acids [Leucine, Phenylalanine, Lysine (HCL), Isoleucine, Histidine (HCL), Valine, Tryptophan], Pseudomagnesium Saponin, 6-Methylsulfinylhexyl Isothiocyanate (Mustard).

Product Applications:   

The main functions of Ginkgo biloba include dissolving cholesterol, improving cardiovascular function and enhancing memory. Memory and Blood Pressure Dabur Kriya is a functionally labelled food with a claim of "memory maintenance". It is specially designed for middle-aged and elderly people to improve their memory and judgement with the addition of flavonoid glycosides and terpene lactones from Ginkgo biloba extract.

The eel series products launched by Japan's Teio Food Research Co., Ltd. introduce DHA and EPA supplementation into the daily diet of the elderly, and have the function of maintaining the memory of middle-aged and elderly people.

2、Lowering the three highs

The three highs refer to high blood lipids, high blood pressure and high blood sugar, mainly due to the state of metabolic disorders of the body's proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other substances, and are the three main risk factors triggering the onset of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and death. According to Jingdong Health's 2022 Nutritional Health Trends White Paper, three highs are the health issues that silver-haired people groups are most concerned about.  

Popular ingredients: GABA, DHA, EPA, isomaltodextrin, chlorogenic acid, indigestible dextrin, iminosugar, HMPA, β-glucan, 5-aminolevulinic acid phosphate, proanthocyanidins, calcium alginate, water-soluble dietary fibre, EGCG, guar gum decomposition product, moringa, monoglucosan-based resveratrol, gallic acid, alloxydose, isotretinoin, palakinose, black tea polyphenols , ellagic acid, quercetin, tea saponin, monoglucosyl hesperidin, β-accompanied macroglobulin, inulin, nattokinase, cocoa flavanols, monoglucosyl hesperidin, alpha-linolenic acid.

Product Applications:

The famous Japanese dairy company Meiji Dairy, which originally developed food for infants and young children, now has a number of functional products for the middle-aged and elderly, such as low-GI cocoa flavanol chocolate, which helps to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, while maintaining the flexibility and muscle strength of middle-aged and elderly people during exercise.

In addition, a dairy drink has been launched, with 5g of indigestible dextrin and 100mg of GABA per 100ml, which has the function of lowering "blood pressure", "blood glucose", "triglyceride", as well as the function of reducing "blood pressure", "blood glucose", "triglyceride", and so on. In addition to lowering "blood pressure", "blood sugar", "triglycerides", it also improves cognitive function and relieves stress in the elderly.

3, bone and joint health

Research shows that after the age of 30, the content of ammonia sugar in the human body continues to decrease and no longer produce, and after the age of 70, the human body is almost depleted of ammonia sugar, which is the root cause of joint pain due to the loss of ammonia sugar. The Japanese functional food market demand for bone and joint health mainly focuses on three aspects: relieving bone and joint discomfort, increasing/maintaining bone density, and maintaining muscles to improve walking ability.

Popular ingredients:

Relief of bone and joint discomfort: elastin peptide (skipjack tuna), proteoglycan (salmon nasal cartilage), N-acetylglucosamine, non-denatured type II collagen (salmon nasal cartilage), imidazole dipeptide, collagen peptide, glucosamine hydrochloride, non-denatured type II collagen, soya bean isoflavones, paprika carotenoids (e.g., β-cryptoxanthin, beta carotene, zeaxanthin, capsaicinoids), chicken feet Enzymatic peptides, AKBA (3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid), hydroxytyrosol (olive);

Maintains muscle strength/improves walking ability: polymethoxyflavones (black ginger), corosolic acid (banana leaf), GABA, calcium β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB-Ca);

Increase/maintain bone density: calcium maltolate, MBP (Milk Basic Protein).

Product Application:

ウォークラック, launched by Japan's ハーバルアイ Co., Ltd. is fortified with polymethoxyflavonoids extracted from black ginger, which improves the ability of middle-aged and elderly people to walk by maintaining the strength of their leg muscles;  

A yoghurt drink from Morinaga Co., Ltd. is fortified with a functional ingredient, calcium maltolate, which promotes the absorption of calcium contained in the diet, maintains bone density, which declines with age, and improves bowel movements.