Assessment of China's food and nutrition policies based on healthy food environment policy index (food-EPI): focusing on governance, funding and resources, platforms for interaction.

BACKGROUND

China currently faces the Triple Burden of Malnutrition, which includes persistent undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight/obesity. Although a life-course nutrition policy architecture has been established, implementation remains constrained fragile governance, inadequate funding and resources, and the absence of robust platforms for interaction. A China-adapted Healthy Food Environment Policy Index assessment is urgently needed to systematically benchmark policy comprehensiveness against international best practice and to inform evidence-based governance optimization.

METHODOLOGY: This study evaluated three domains of China's food and nutrition policy-governance (4 indicators), funding and resources (3 indicators), and platforms for interaction (4 indicators)-based on the Food-EPI framework. An expert panel (n = 13) conducted quantitative scoring for each indicator, calculating average scores and implementation percentages for both indicators and domains. Policy implementation levels were then categorized accordingly. The evaluation primarily comprised seven steps: finalize the research protocol; collect policy documents; draft evidence document; validate supporting documents; convene an expert panel workshop; make recommendations; and disseminate findings to government, the public, and stakeholders.

RESULTS

A total of 15 relevant policies were primarily included. Overall, China's food and nutrition policies rated as medium across all three domains-governance, funding and resources, and platforms for interaction. Specific scores and implementation levels were as follows: governance 3.12 ± 0.98 (62.4%), funding and resources 3.23 ± 0.96 (64.6%), and platforms for interaction 3.46 ± 0.90 (69.2%). Among the 11 indicators, 90.9% were rated at a medium level, 9.1% at a high level, with no indicators classified as low or extremely low.

CONCLUSION

China's food and nutrition policies have established a foundational basis in infrastructure support, resource allocation, and coordination; however, they remain in a transitional phase from framework development toward high-quality implementation. Future efforts should focus on optimizing resource allocation, strengthening professional support systems, and advancing data integration and sharing to further enhance policy implementation effectiveness.