INSIGHTS
New Products Watch: China Food Sector in March 2021
BY Shine HuMar 31, 2021

Seasonal products

Trends to watch:

Spring is one of the critical promotional seasons for food and beverage brands in China. Popular flavors include cherry blossom, plum, and white peach.

BrandsBrandsCharacteristics
OreoSpring limited version of cookies
  • There are two flavors of sakura & strawberry and sakura & plum.

  • The package embodies the Chinese style.

Yili YousuanruSpring sakura limited version of milk beverage
  • The new product has the cherry blossom plum flavor.

  • The ACG (Animation, Comic, and Game) package targets Gen Z.

NescafeSpring limited cherry blossom soufflé latteThis new spring product combines the fragrance of cherry blossom and the sweet flavor of soufflé as a taste innovation.
M&M'SSpring limited cherry blossom blind boxOnly 5% of blind boxes nationwide have cherry blossom pink beans inside.
Soup's got talentSakura season limited pink Japanese Tonkotsu ramenIt combines sakura pink noodles with rich broth.
QiaqiaSpring limited sunflower seedsSakura white peach flavor.

d-2.jpgOreo’s Spring limited version of cookies. Photo source: Oreo

Dairy & milk powder

Trends to watch:

  • Children's cheese products are a vital direction for brands to promote cheese in the Chinese market.

  • Functional yogurts added with probiotics and other ingredients are gaining popularity.

  •  As the trend towards premiumization gathers steam in the infant formula sector, many brands start to leverage various high-end ingredients, such as HMO to empower more value for their products.

BrandsProductsCharacteristics
Junlebao
  • “Zengcong” formula cheese sticks

  • Scoolcheese children’s formula cheese sticks

  • “Zengcong” formula cheese sticks add DHA algal oil and ARA to support children’s intelligence and optic nerve development.

  • Scoolcheese children’s formula cheese sticks add vitamin A, vitamin D, and Bifidobacterium lactis to help children’s bones and teeth growth, enhance immunity, and balance intestinal flora.

MeijiProbiotic yogurtsThe new products use two lactic acid bacteria strains, R-1 lactic acid bacteria and LG21 lactic acid bacteria, which can improve immunity and gastrointestinal health.
NestléBEBA SUPREME infant formula The formula is the first German ultra-high-end infant formula powder covering all three categories of HMO. It debuted through Tmall Global.
YiliSmokable cheeseThe new product is designed as a new form of cheese that kids can suck directly.

dd.jpgYili’s smokable cheese. Photo source: YiliTea & coffee & beverage

Trends to watch:

  • Collagen and probiotics are still popular functional ingredients for beverage innovation.

  • Hyaluronic acid expects to become a next hot ingredient applied in food and beverage.

BrandsProductsCharacteristics
Coca-Cola 
  • Chunyue soda water series

  • AH!HA! sparkling water

  • Chun Yue soda water series feature zero bubbles, zero sugar, and zero fat. One has niacin, an essential B vitamin in energy metabolism, and the other adds zinc to improve appetite.

  • AH!HA! sparkling water features zero sugar, zero calories, and zero fat.

VOSSCollagen peptide sparkling waterThe new product has two flavors of lychee rose and citronella. It adds sturgeon collagen peptide, which has many functions such as anti-oxidation, free radical scavenging, and immunity enhancement.
COSTA Peach probiotics latteIt uses two patented probiotics strains from Fonterra NZMP. 
Hankow Er Chang
  • Hyaluronic acid sparkling water

  • Jelly sparkling water

  • Each hyaluronic acid sparkling water contains 68mg of sodium hyaluronate.

  • Jelly sparkling water is an innovative combination of jelly with bubble.

Bloomage BiotechHyaluronic acid drinking waterEach bottle contains 66mg of sodium hyaluronate and features zero sugar, zero fat, zero calories, and no additives.
Uni-presidentA-HA fermented juice sparkling waterThe new product is made from real fruits and fermented by synthetic strains and features zero fat and no phosphoric acid.
KFC
  • Co-branding freeze-dried coffee powder with the Palace Museum

  • K Coffee shake latte

  • The freeze-dried coffee powder has three flavors of osmanthus, peony, and narcissus and features zero fat and zero sugar.

  • K Coffee shake latte comes in three flavors: mellow, oatmeal, and matcha. The mellow latte is added with collagen peptides, and the matcha latte contains red pomegranate concentrate powder and tea polyphenols.

v.jpgKFC’s co-branding freeze-dried coffee powder with the Palace Museum. Photo source: KFCHealth & wellness

Trends to watch:

More innovative products focus on the two major consumer needs of sleep quality improvement and weight management.

BrandsProductsCharacteristics
SnickersWhey protein energy barIt contains 20g of protein (including whey protein, cow's milk protein, and calcium caseinate), 8g of dietary fiber, and 0 trans fatty acids.
WonderLabY-aminobutyric acid gummyThe new product contains GABA to relieve pressure and anxiety and promote emotional balance. It also adds natural extraction of raw materials, including tea theanine and passion flower to improve sleep quality.
ffit8Women's Day limited protein barThe new rose walnut flavored protein bar adds female-friendly ingredients including fish collagen peptide, conifer cherry, red rose petals, walnuts, and red beet without the extra sugar.
SMEALProbiotic freeze-dried powderIt highlights “melt in the mouth within three seconds" and has two flavors of grape and cranberry.
QUAKERSmart Calories meal replacement milkshakeEach bottle’s heat is controlled at 206Kcal and added with nicotinamide, vitamin A and other nutrients.
HuiyuanY-aminobutyric acid compound juice drinkIt contains passion flower, tea theanine, GABA and other natural ingredients, helping calm nerves, fight anxiety and improve sleep quality.

的的.jpgffit8’s Women's Day limited rose walnut flavored protein bar. Photo source: ffit8Plant-based

Trends to watch:

  • Plant-based beverage, represented by oat milk, is continuing to keep strong growth momentum, with more new products springing up.

  • Collaboration with coffee shops has become a popular choice for brands to enter the Chinese market or do brand promotion.

  • More new plant-based meat products are adapting to Chinese people’s daily meat consumption scenes.

BrandsProductsCharacteristics
Cereal PlanetOat drinkNo added sugar and salt.
StarfieldPlant-based meatballsIt targets the hot pot consumption scene.
McDonald'sPlant-based breakfast seriesThe series highlights the use of 15mm thick plant-based meat.
Yili Plant SelectedOat milkIt contains 10g of dietary fiber without the extra sugar.
7-ElevenOmniEat plant-based mealsThe series includes black pepper new shredded pork pasta, new pork shao-mai, new pork crystal dumpling, etc. They are co-launched by 7-Eleven and plant-based food company Green Monday and are available at all 7-Eleven stores in Hong Kong.
alproPlant-based beverage for barista professionals
  • Danone’s plant-based brand targeting boutique coffee shops and tea shops.

  • The series has three flavors of coconut, almond, and oat.

VitasoyUpgraded version of plant-based milk for baristasOat milk and almond milk have been upgraded in terms of formula and packaging.

b.jpgYili Plant Selected oat milk’s marketing highlights low fat. Photo source: Plant Selected

ChemLinked provides Customized New Product Monitoring Services in the China FMCG market, free to contact us if you’d like to learn more.

Shine Hu
ChemLinked Research Analyst
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