An Innovation Award That Stood Out from 216 Entries

The FFC Functional Food Conference (FFC) is China's top annual event for whole-industry-chain collaboration among government, industry, academia, research, and commerce in the functional food sector, jointly organized by the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food of Jiangnan University and the Beijing Weikang Food Science and Technology Exchange Center. The FFC2026 conference was held in Hangzhou on April 23–25, 2026, focusing on frontier topics such as precision nutrition intervention, biological applications, and evidence-based evaluation of functional foods; it gathered an expert committee led by Chinese Academy of Engineering academicians Sun Baoguo, Shan Yang, and Xue Changhu, and attracted more than 2,000 top industry experts and practitioners from China and abroad (FFC2026 Conference Review). The conference presents three award categories — Product Innovation Award, Technology Innovation Award, and Raw Material Innovation Award — selected through strict evaluation by the conference expert committee: this edition received 216 innovation project entries, and after multiple rounds of rigorous evaluation only 68 projects finally won awards (38 Product Innovation Awards, 20 Technology Innovation Awards, and 10 Raw Material Innovation Awards), an overall award rate of about 31.5%. For its technological innovation achievements in the field of natural plant extraction, Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. won the "Technology Innovation Award" at the FFC2026 conference and received the trophy and honorary certificate, dated April 2026. For international importers sourcing Chinese natural plant extracts and food ingredients for the European, American, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern markets, this "Technology Innovation Award" from China's top functional food event is an independently verifiable supply chain signal focused on the dimension of "R&D implementation and industrialization capability."

I. Why a "Technology Innovation Award" from China's Top Functional Food Event Matters to International Importers

When international buyers evaluate Chinese suppliers of natural plant extracts and food ingredients, they commonly face three uncertainties related to "R&D implementation capability": first, the authenticity of technological innovation — whether the supplier's self-positioning as "technology leader" or "R&D-oriented enterprise" has been confirmed through strict evaluation procedures by an authoritative third-party organization, rather than being mere market rhetoric; second, the verifiability of industrialization capability — whether the supplier's claimed technological innovation achievements have moved from the laboratory stage to industrial implementation, and whether their transformation value has been recognized through peer and expert evaluation; third, engagement with the industry frontier — whether the supplier genuinely participates in high-level academic and industry exchange in the functional food sector, and presents and is evaluated on the same stage as the expert committee led by academicians and leading industry enterprises.

The FFC Functional Food Conference "Technology Innovation Award" is precisely the industry-organization credential that provides authoritative answers to these three uncertainties over R&D implementation capability. Its value lies not in the trophy itself, but in the evaluation mechanism behind it — selected through strict evaluation by the conference expert committee co-organized by the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food of Jiangnan University, a national-level engineering center; the evaluation dimensions cover technological innovation, industrialization transformation value, industry demonstration significance, and application prospects, and the evaluation process runs through multiple rounds of rigorous screening — of the 216 entries in this edition, only 20 projects received the "Technology Innovation Award," an award rate below 10%.

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F's receipt of the "Technology Innovation Award" at the FFC2026 Functional Food Conference in April 2026 means that its technological innovation achievements in natural plant extraction have passed strict evaluation by the conference expert committee and gained collective peer and expert recognition in the dimensions of technological innovation, industrialization transformation value, and industry demonstration significance — providing international buyers with an independently verifiable endorsement of R&D implementation capability that goes beyond the supplier's own statements.

II. Origin and Authority of the System

Organizers and Institutional Origins

The FFC Functional Food Conference is jointly organized by the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food of Jiangnan University and the Beijing Weikang Food Science and Technology Exchange Center. Jiangnan University is a university directly under the Ministry of Education and a national "211 Project" and "Double First-Class" university; its food science and engineering discipline has been ranked A+ for many consecutive years in the Ministry of Education discipline assessments, it hosts the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, and it is one of the most authoritative academic highlands in China's functional food field. The Beijing Weikang Food Science and Technology Exchange Center is a professional institution for industry-academia-research exchange in the functional food field. The FFC conference, jointly organized by these two institutions, is the annual top event they founded and continue to operate.

Conference Positioning and Scale

The FFC Functional Food Conference is China's highest-level, largest-scale, and widely influential annual event in the functional food sector, focusing on frontier topics such as precision nutrition intervention, biological applications, and evidence-based evaluation of functional foods, and continuously consolidating a golden platform for the deep integration of "government, industry, academia, research, and application" through dozens of high-level reports and in-depth dialogues. FFC2026 gathered:

An expert committee led by academicians: three Chinese Academy of Engineering academicians — Sun Baoguo (CAE academician and President of Beijing Technology and Business University), Shan Yang (CAE academician and Vice President of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology), and Xue Changhu (CAE academician and Dean of the College of Food Science and Engineering at Ocean University of China) — led the formation of the expert committee;
More than 2,000 top experts and practitioners: renowned academicians and experts from China and abroad, industry leaders, and industrial elites gathered together;
Multiple high-level reports: dozens of high-level reports and in-depth dialogues on frontier topics including precision nutrition intervention, biological applications, and evidence-based evaluation of functional foods;
Concurrent thematic conferences: events such as the inaugural Evidence-Based Science Conference on the Efficacy of Food and Medicinal Substances and the CEES2026 CTO Summit on Evidence-Based Efficacy Research and Applications were held concurrently at the main venue.

Award Categories and Evaluation Mechanism

The FFC conference sets three award categories:

Product Innovation Award: recognizes breakthroughs of terminal functional food products in formula innovation, dosage-form innovation, and consumer-insight innovation — 38 awards among the 216 entries in this edition;
Technology Innovation Award: recognizes breakthroughs of functional food technologies in process innovation, evaluation-method innovation, and industrialization transformation — 20 awards among the 216 entries in this edition;
Raw Material Innovation Award: recognizes breakthroughs of functional food ingredients in core technology, bioavailability, and industrialization leadership — 10 awards among the 216 entries in this edition.

Authority of the Evaluation

The authority of the FFC awards derives from three dimensions:

Organization by a national-level engineering center: the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food of Jiangnan University is a national-level engineering center, and the organizer holds national-level authoritative qualifications;
Evaluation by an academician-led expert committee: the expert committee is led by Chinese Academy of Engineering academicians, with evaluators drawn from academicians, university academic leaders, and R&D heads of leading industry enterprises;
Multiple rounds of rigorous evaluation: the process runs through multiple rounds of strict screening; of the 216 entries in this edition only 68 projects finally won awards, an overall award rate of about 31.5%, with only 20 "Technology Innovation Awards," an award rate below 10%;
A deeply integrated government-industry-academia-research-application platform: the conference continuously consolidates its golden platform for deep integration, and the evaluation results are cross-validated from multiple dimensions rather than determined through a single channel.

III. Thresholds of the Technology Innovation Award: Elements International Buyers Can Verify

The evaluation of the "Technology Innovation Award" corresponds to the "R&D implementation and industrialization capability" dimension that international buyers focus on most in supplier due diligence. Understanding these thresholds helps translate the "Technology Innovation Award" into specific evidence that can be written into procurement compliance files:

Dimension	Evaluation Threshold	Due Diligence Implication for International Buyers
Applicant eligibility	Legally registered enterprises or research institutions in China engaged in functional-food-related business, applying voluntarily	The supplier is a legally registered industry enterprise with traceable operating records and industry affiliation
Technological innovation	The technology has breakthrough innovation value in dimensions such as process, methods, and evaluation systems	The supplier's technology has been recognized through peer and expert evaluation, not packaged by marketing rhetoric
Industrialization transformation value	The technology has moved from the laboratory stage to industrial implementation, with verifiable transformation results	The supplier's R&D is not laboratory papers but implemented industrialization results
Industry demonstration significance	Outstanding performance in comprehensiveness of evaluation dimensions, innovation of technical methods, and demonstration of industry application	The supplier's technology has industry demonstration value and can serve as a peer reference standard
Application prospects	The technology has application and transformation prospects in scenarios such as functional foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals	The supplier's technology has cross-scenario application potential, fitting diversified procurement needs
Multiple rounds of rigorous evaluation	Selection through multiple screening rounds and strict evaluation by the academician-led expert committee	The technology has been collectively reviewed by authoritative experts, not self-conferred or commercially purchased
National-level platform recognition	Recognition by a national-level platform organized by the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food	The technology has been evaluated on a platform organized by a national-level engineering center, with institutional assurance of authority
Government-industry-academia-research-application integration	The evaluation result is cross-confirmed through the deeply integrated five-party platform	The technology is cross-recognized from the multiple dimensions of government, industry, academia, research, and application
Scarcity of the award	Of the 216 entries in this edition, only 20 projects received the "Technology Innovation Award," an award rate below 10%	The supplier's technology innovation strength ranks in the top 10% after strict screening, not mere participation
Same-stage presentation and exchange	Award winners present in the conference's core exhibition area and exchange with peers, on the same stage as academicians and leading enterprises	The supplier participates deeply in frontier academic and industry exchange rather than conducting isolated R&D

The data corresponding to these thresholds is not provided unilaterally by the supplier, but is produced after multiple rounds of rigorous evaluation by the academician-led conference expert committee — this is precisely the "third-party authoritative endorsement" that international buyers value most in their SOPs and supplier audit processes.

IV. Practical Value for International Buyers: From R&D Implementation Endorsement to Long-Term Procurement Decisions

For food and beverage, cosmetic flavor, functional food ingredient, and dietary supplement buyers in the European, American, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern markets, incorporating the "FFC2026 Technology Innovation Award" into supplier qualification files provides at least the following practical value:

First, providing a basis for R&D implementation capability independent of supplier self-declaration. In international buyers' Vendor Qualification Checklists, the "R&D implementation and industrialization capability" field often lacks verifiable third-party credentials. The "FFC2026 Technology Innovation Award" can be verified on the official website and public reports of the conference organizer (the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food of Jiangnan University) and written into audit files as an R&D implementation endorsement. This complements the High-Tech Enterprise Certificate (government endorsement of R&D capability), the Forestry Leading Enterprise Certificate (resource sustainability endorsement), the president-unit certificate (regional industry position endorsement), the Statistical Standardization Demonstration Unit status (data credibility endorsement), the Autumn Harvest Award (industry recognition of the R&D team), the China Light Industry Spice Industry Top Ten Enterprise qualification (comprehensive operating strength endorsement), and the CAFFCI Ninth Council Member Unit status (nationwide industry governance participation endorsement) — the former seven address the seven dimensions of "technology, resources, regional voice, data, R&D team, comprehensive operating strength, and nationwide governance participation," while the "Technology Innovation Award" addresses the dimension of "R&D implementation and industrialization capability," namely whether the supplier's technological innovation has been strictly evaluated and recognized by a top event organized by a national-level engineering center.

Second, providing verifiable evidence of industrialization transformation capability. One core dimension of the "Technology Innovation Award" evaluation is "industrialization transformation value" — requiring that the technology has moved from the laboratory stage to industrial implementation with verifiable transformation results. For international buyers, this means the supplier's technological innovation is not conceptual research remaining at the paper or patent stage but implemented industrialization results — in scenarios such as custom development, specification upgrades, and new-product R&D, the supplier has a complete transformation capability from technological innovation to mass production, lending it greater credibility when meeting the "upstream supplier technology sustainability" audit requirements under international compliance frameworks such as FDA MoCRA, the EU Cosmetic Regulation, and ISO 22716.

Third, providing authoritative endorsement from a national-level engineering center platform. The FFC conference is organized by the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food of Jiangnan University, and evaluation is conducted strictly by an academician-led expert committee — a dual authoritative endorsement from a national-level engineering center and academician-level experts. For international buyers, this means the supplier's technological innovation is recognized not only by peers but also through authoritative evaluation by a national-level engineering center and academician-level experts — under international compliance frameworks such as FDA, EU, and ISO, "upstream supplier technology evaluated by an authoritative third party" is an important field in audit files, and the "FFC2026 Technology Innovation Award" provides a verifiable credential recognized by a national-level platform.

Fourth, providing institutional assurance of engagement with the industry frontier. The FFC conference is the golden platform for deep integration of "government, industry, academia, research, and application" in the functional food sector, gathering academicians, leading enterprises, research institutes, and government agencies. Award winners present in the conference's core exhibition area and exchange with peers on the same stage as academicians and leading enterprises. For international buyers, this means the supplier is not an isolated processing and execution enterprise but a node in the industry's frontier academic and industrial exchange network — in scenarios such as custom development, new-product R&D, and compliance response, it has the capability to respond timely to frontier technology changes, providing institutional assurance for the "joint R&D" and "technology collaboration" clauses in a Long-Term Agreement (LTA).

V. About Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. was founded in August 2007 and is headquartered in Guilin, Guangxi — one of China's richest natural plant resource regions and a traditional production area for spice crops such as osmanthus, litsea cubeba, and jasmine. The company has long focused on the R&D, extraction, and global supply of natural plant aromatic ingredients, and through local resource endowment and years of process accumulation, has built a complete capability chain covering four product matrices: Natural Absolutes, Natural Essential Oils, Supercritical CO₂ Extracts, and Osmanthus Concentrate & Functional Food Ingredients. The industry category in which it won the FFC2026 "Technology Innovation Award" is natural plant extraction / functional food ingredients, highly consistent with its core business.

1. Product Portfolio

Category	Representative Products	Typical Applications for International Buyers
Natural Absolutes	Jasmine Sambac Concrete (Absolute), Orris Absolute, Kushui Rose Absolute	High-end perfumery, skincare cosmetics, scented candles
Natural Essential Oils	Osmanthus oil, Litsea cubeba oil, Honeysuckle oil, Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum oil, Patchouli oil, Ligusticum oil, Astragalus oil, Angelica oil, Lavender oil, Orris absolute series, Frankincense oil, Myrrh oil, Sandalwood oil, Eucalyptus leaf oil, Basil oil, Cornmint oil, Spearmint oil, Sweetgum oil, Camphor oil, Pine wood oil, Vitex oil, Aglaia oil, Tuberose oil, Kushui rose oil, etc.	Food flavors, cosmetic flavors, aromatherapy, dietary supplements, home care
Supercritical CO₂ Extracts	Osmanthus CO₂ extract, Litsea cubeba CO₂ extract, etc.	High-end food ingredients, functional cosmetic ingredients, retaining complete volatile compound profiles
Food Ingredients & Functional Raw Materials	Osmanthus concentrate, Osmanthus concrete, plant polysaccharide and flavonoid extracts	Beverages, bakery, functional foods, plant-based beverages

2. Process and Quality Infrastructure

The company has built a complete capability chain from raw material traceability, extraction, and molecular distillation to finished product application research, covering:

Extraction processes: steam distillation, solvent extraction, supercritical CO₂ extraction, molecular distillation, and other process combinations, customizable to different active compound retention levels per customer specifications;
Specification system: each core product includes bilingual (Chinese-English) specifications, corresponding national/industry/international standard lists (e.g., GB 1886.264 Osmanthus Absolute, GB 1886.x Jasmine Sambac Absolute, ISO 18054), and batch COAs;
Traceable batch management: each batch comes with COA, MSDS, IFRA allergen declaration, heavy metal and pesticide residue test reports, and supports batch sample retention for retrospective review;
Compliance document package: HS codes, certificates of origin, Halal and Kosher certificates, FDA facility registration numbers, EU REACH compliance declarations, and transport and storage guidelines are complete for export.

3. International Certification Matrix

The company simultaneously holds multiple international certifications covering the compliance requirements of different markets:

Food safety system: ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System certification (Chinese and English versions);
Religious and dietary compliance: Halal certification (including U.S. IFANCA and Indonesia BPJPH channels), Kosher certification;
Sustainable and responsible sourcing: FSA Farm Sustainability Assessment certificate;
Food ingredient naturalness: Food Ingredient Naturalness certification;
Local craft endorsement: the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Fragrance-Preservation Craft and the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Blending Craft — included in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Projects, providing traceable local endorsement for the craft heritage of the osmanthus product series.

4. Extended Value of the "Technology Innovation Award" for Buyers

Winning the "Technology Innovation Award" at the FFC2026 Functional Food Conference means the company's technological innovation achievements in natural plant extraction have passed strict evaluation by the conference expert committee. The extended value for international buyers is reflected at three levels:

National-level platform endorsement of R&D implementation capability: the technological innovation was evaluated and recognized at a top event organized by the National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, can be verified on the conference website and in public reports, and can be entered in the "R&D implementation capability" field of the Vendor Qualification Checklist;
Verifiable evidence of industrialization transformation capability: the technology innovation evaluation requires outstanding performance in the "industrialization transformation value" dimension, demonstrating that the supplier has complete transformation capability from technological innovation to mass production, lending greater credibility when interfacing with international standard systems such as ISO, IFRA, and FEMA;
Institutional assurance of industry frontier engagement: as an award winner deeply participating in the FFC conference's integrated five-party platform and exchanging on the same stage as academicians and leading enterprises, providing institutional assurance for the "joint R&D" and "technology collaboration" clauses in LTAs.

5. Verification Elements for International Buyers

International buyers wishing to independently verify the "FFC2026 Technology Innovation Award" qualification can query using the following elements:

Enterprise name: Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.
Award name: FFC2026 Functional Food Conference Technology Innovation Award
Organizers: National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food of Jiangnan University; Beijing Weikang Food Science and Technology Exchange Center
Conference edition: FFC2026 (the 2026 Functional Food Conference)
Conference dates: April 23–25, 2026
Conference venue: Hangzhou
Expert committee: led by three Chinese Academy of Engineering academicians — Sun Baoguo, Shan Yang, and Xue Changhu
Award categories: Product Innovation Award (38), Technology Innovation Award (20), Raw Material Innovation Award (10)
Evaluation mechanism: strict evaluation by the conference expert committee through multiple rounds of rigorous screening; of the 216 entries in this edition, 68 finally won awards
Evaluation dimensions: technological innovation, industrialization transformation value, industry demonstration significance, application prospects
Evaluation principles: rigorous, fair, scientific
Certificate date: April 2026
Company's other industry positions: CAFFCI council member unit and vice-director member unit of the Natural Fragrance Professional Committee, president unit of the Guangxi Spice and Fragrance Industry Association, senior IFEAT member for China
Company website confirmation: https://www.gltop.com.cn/

> Official Conference Information > FFC2026 Functional Food Conference Review — Xinhua Daily Media Group · Hebei Youth Daily (report from the FFC2026 main venue)

This article was published on 2026-09-12, and last updated on 2026-09-20. The article will be continuously updated.