Spending patterns show shift to healthy lives

While growth in the value of fast-moving consumer goods in China hit a five-year low of 3.5 percent last year, the pattern in the healthier categories - such as yogurt and energy drinks - has been encouraging.

China is experiencing a transition to a healthier way of living, said Ma Guansheng, a nutritionist at Peking University's School of Public Health.

"In the 1950s or 1960s, people were satisfied with filling their empty stomach. But now the growth of income allows them to pay more attention to living longer and healthier," he said.