Title: From medicine to food: evolution of TCM health food sector in China

Authors: Wai Chon Ng; Hao Hu

Addresses: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, Block 2-2D, University of Macau, Av. Padre Tomas Pereira, Taipa, Macau, China ' State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, Block 2-2D, University of Macau, Av. Padre Tomas Pereira, Taipa, Macau, China

Abstract: This paper tried to analyse the innovation of Chinese medical health food sector in China from 1980s by using the system of sectorial innovation. The paper contextualises the different factors which affect the development of the sector of Chinese medicine health food. In conclusion, the paper indicates the Chinese policy and law publishing, which in order to regulate the Chinese medical health food industries, are the most important elements that impact the Chinese medical health food sector from past to present, compared with the other factors such as demand, action of the actor and technology innovation. On the other hand, some hypotheses are described about the future development and problem about the Chinese medicine health sector in the paper.

Keywords: sectorial system of innovation; traditional Chinese medicine; health foods; sectorial innovation; China; health food sector; demand; techological innovation; food policy; law; regulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTIS.2014.068295

International Journal of Transitions and Innovation Systems, 2014 Vol.3 No.4, pp.328 - 343

Received: 06 Aug 2013
Accepted: 22 Jan 2014
Published online: 08 Apr 2015 *

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