Nutrient coverage of China’s plant-based food supply can be improved with food system adjustments

Plant-based foods provide most nutrients for human diets and have wide availability, yet nutrient gaps persist in many regions. Here we assessed China's plant-based food supply during 1997-2018 to determine its ability to meet population-level requirements for dietary energy and 17 nutrients and evaluated food system scenarios for improving nutrient coverage and source diversity. In the baseline scenario including animal-based foods, coverage was high for energy, protein, carbohydrates, dietary fibre and ten micronutrients; medium for riboflavin and vitamin A; and low for calcium and selenium. Halving food loss and waste, increasing whole-grain use and moderating red meat intake improved coverage for all nutrients by 8-44% above baseline. Redirecting crops from feed and non-food uses to human consumption enabled self-sufficiency for energy and 14 nutrients. While food system improvements in China can strengthen nutrient availability, complementary strategies, such as crop diversification, fortification and biofortification are needed to close the remaining gaps.