"There clearly is room for more than 100 Element Fresh restaurants in China, plus potential overseas," said Rasche.
The health food market in China has tripled since 2007 to currently account for 1.01 percent of total food consumption, which is still lower than the 5 to 8 percent of the market in areas like Europe and the United States, according to Ryan Zhou, senior director of Nielsen China.
Higher purchasing power among consumers, coupled with growing awareness of the benefits of adopting a nutritious and balanced diet, are driving the demand for natural and fresh food in the country.
"The health food market is likely to be the new most exciting trend in the food and beverage industry in China," said Neil Wang, global partner and China president at Frost & Sullivan.
Last year, the market size of China's health food industry reached 150 million yuan ($23 million), with an annual growth rate of 20 percent from 2010, said international consultancy Frost & Sullivan.
Beijing-based marketing specialist Tracy Ye said that her food choices have become a top priority in her life in the past few years.
She spends an average 9,000 yuan per month in health food for her and her husband, adding that truly healthy eating options are still scarce in the capital city.
"I see a lot more juice, salad and sandwich bars popping up but sometimes it's not done right," said Ye. "They would add jam to the juices or mayonnaise to the sandwiches."
Ye said that her eating choices have limited the number of restaurants she visits, noting that she only eats out at the handful of restaurants in Beijing that offer a healthy selection.
Andrew Stevenson, a restaurateur of Scottish and Japanese descent, decided to mix two different culinary cultures to create Obentos, a Japanese-inspired restaurant chain with a Western influence that serves healthy recipes.
