Nutrition is fundamental to human survival and a key means of promoting healthy aging. China has entered an aging society， older adults face a variety of functional declines. To ensure adequate food intake and sufficient nutrition -addressing problems such as impaired digestion， underweight， anemia and other forms of malnutrition， and to ensure quality of life - ′senior-friendly foods′ have become essential. At present， China′s senior-friendly food sector is in its infancy， confronted by challenges including low market penetration， lack of standards， inconsistent industry understanding， and limited consumer awareness. To tackle these issues， Shanghai JS Life Sciences Institute， Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology， National Center of Gerontology of National Health Commission， and Chinese Preventive Medicine Association - Society of Nutrition and Health convened experts from relevant fields. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of age-related digestive decline and the nutritional needs of Chinese elderly， they jointly drafted the Consensus on the Development and Standardized Production of Senior-friendly Foods in China. The consensus defines ′senior-friendly food′ as pre-packaged foods with adjusted and/or modified texture to accommodate the physiological changes of aging， including diminished digestive capacity and/or altered nutritional requirements. The document consists of seven sections: introduction， scope， terms and definitions， product categories， technical requirements， packaging， and labeling. This consensus is intended to guide food enterprises in the R&D and standardized production of ′senior-friendly foods′ and to lay the foundation for the formulation of related standards.

senior-friendly food  /  research and development  /  standardized production  /  nutrition  /  texture