JunYao Health Luo Yujie: Every year, consumers redefine "health." How can companies seize new opportunities?

Translated from: China Business Network

Reporter Liu Wang, Beijing

“Every year when we review the health food and beverage sector, we find that the term ‘health’ is actually evolving all the time.” On March 25, at the 2026 China New Consumption Industry High-Quality Development Forum hosted by China Business News, Luo Yujie, Marketing Director of Junyao Health, summarized her deepest feelings over the years in the food and beverage industry.

As an important publicly listed company under Junyao Group’s consumer goods sector, Junyao Health has been deeply engaged in the health food and beverage sector for over thirty years. From the early slogan “A cup of milk strengthens a generation of Chinese people” to the launch of the Weidongli lactic acid bacteria in 2011, which achieved annual sales of 2 billion for a single product, this company has witnessed the progressive understanding of “health” by Chinese consumers.

Today, facing the wave of “new quality consumption,” Luo Yujie believes that the biggest challenge for food and beverage companies is how to find their own new productive force within the constantly evolving definitions of health by consumers.

“Health Chip”: Embedding Probiotics in More Scenarios

Luo Yujie admits that the food and beverage industry has a low entry barrier and intense competition. “Currently, the competition in food and drinks revolves around specifications, prices, and costs. When there’s no way to continue competing, suddenly some companies come up with new formulas and play styles.”

Taking lactic acid bacteria as an example, she reviewed the changes in consumer perception. “More than a decade ago, everyone thought that sweet and sour lactic acid bacteria were a very healthy drink.” But now, the situation is entirely different. “After more than ten years, everyone looks at the ingredient list. When they see that the lactic acid bacteria ingredient list has a dozen or twenty components, they immediately slide this product into the category of just tasty but not healthy.”

Consumer trends are constantly changing, and consumers’ understanding of health is also evolving. How companies keep pace with trends and seize consumption opportunities is particularly important at this time.

JunYao Health’s solution is to return to the technology itself. In 2023, Junyao Health acquired the probiotic powder company Junyao Runying, significantly upgrading its probiotic R&D capabilities. Luo Yujie describes probiotics as “health chips.”

“Probiotics can cover a wide range of health scenarios, such as digestive health, weight management, oral care, and even specific scenarios like liver protection after drinking.” She said, “It’s like a health chip that can be embedded into our health foods and health drinks.”

The effectiveness of this strategy is already showing results. Luo Yujie cited the example of “live bacteria green plum water” customized for Hema, which achieved differentiation in the fiercely competitive beverage market by adding live probiotics. “We use new science and technology and health benefits to help the category carve out new paths in the realm of new productive forces, allowing the industry ecosystem to give birth to new development directions.”

The “Decision Points” of Consumers Have Changed

In Luo Yujie’s view, as beverages are low-cost, instant decision categories, consumer decisions often happen in “those few moments” in front of the shelf. However, the logic of decision-making in these moments has undergone profound changes.

She used the rise of coconut water as an example to analyze the refinement of consumer decision-making. “100 milliliters of natural coconut water contains about 5 grams of sugar, which is very low. Similarly, for 100% freshly squeezed juice, we find that consumers are more inclined to buy juice with lower sugar content.”

Luo Yujie pointed out that behind this phenomenon is consumers’ deep interpretation of the nutritional ingredient list. “There are more consumers pursuing healthy juices, and their decision points start from the ingredient list.”

Based on deep observations of consumer decision points, Luo Yujie’s team discovered new opportunities in sports scenarios. She described the team’s observations in front of smart vending machines at sports fields: “Consumers only select two types of beverages: first, electrolyte drinks, because they need to replenish electrolytes after sweating from exercise. Second, consumers choose sodas that provide a strong refreshing feeling.”

And when the market sees electrolyte water and soda each occupying their own space, Luo Yujie raised a “very small but real” pain point: “Why do consumers have to choose between soda and electrolyte water? Can’t we ‘pamper’ them a little, giving them the refreshing feeling of soda while also providing the energy replenishment function of electrolytes?”

This insight directly points to the underlying logic of new product development. “Sometimes consumers just need you to ‘pamper’ them a little step further, and it might really help find a new scenario.” Luo Yujie expressed.

Bypassing “Old School Brand Education”

On the brand communication front, Luo Yujie also proposed new thoughts. She noticed that consumers today have developed a resistance to brands’ health communications. “When trying to communicate strong scientific information to consumers, they react very negatively. There’s often a saying on Xiaohongshu that brands are ‘educating me in an old-fashioned way,’ which triggers strong resistance from consumers.”

How can we convey health value without being rejected by consumers? Junyao Health found a solution when revitalizing the Weidongli lactic acid bacteria. Faced with the declining market for children’s lactic acid bacteria, the team integrated functional ingredients such as DHA, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamins, and minerals into the product, repackaging it as the “Rainbow Nutrition Bottle.”

“This way of communication is appealing to both parents and the children standing in front of the shelf, and they don’t feel that the brand is forcefully trying to impose concepts or products on them.” Luo Yujie stated.

Regarding the future of the food and beverage industry, Luo Yujie maintains a cautiously optimistic outlook. “The innovation space left for each company seems small, but in reality, if everyone dives in, there is still great potential.”

In her view, every year consumers redefine the term “health,” and whoever can catch this continually evolving definition will find their new height and direction amidst the “industry competition.”

(Edited by Yu Haixia, Reviewed by Sun Jizheng, Proofread by Yan Jingning)