Long-term efforts must follow health product cleanup campaign

The ongoing three-month national crackdown on illegal practices in the health products market, which started early this month, is a welcome move.

Problems, such as false advertising, counterfeit goods and poor-quality products, have long existed in this sector and they have become a consistent source of complaints. Many consumers of these products are senior citizens, often with chronic diseases and without much knowledge about medical science, and they tend to easily fall prey to the promotional spiel of the sellers, who may even be part of a scam.

As China enters an aging society, the demand for health products from senior citizens continues to grow. The size of the market - which includes food, equipment and wearable devices - is estimated to already be worth billions of dollars, and it is expected to grow at a double-digit rate in the years to come.