Screenshot of the "I Love Advent Food" group in the Douban APP
China News Network Beijing, July 11 Title: Temporary food, they are the "main force" to buy
Author Xu Jing Du Yan
On the weekend, Tao Feifei, 27, picked up two boxes of 980ml of a certain brand of advent milk in the dairy area of a supermarket near her home and put them in the shopping cart. He said that on weekdays, this milk is about ten yuan a carton, and the list price of this 4-6 days of milk is usually ten yuan and two boxes, which is equivalent to a 50% discount. Although the purchase of temporary food may only be a few dollars cheaper at a time, buying it three or four times a month can also save a lot of money and avoid food waste, which can be described as "killing two birds with one stone".
Snacks in a chain store that are discounted due to the advent period. Photo by Xu Jing
Young and middle-aged people are the "main force" in buying
Advent food refers to food that is about to reach its shelf life but is still within its shelf life. Previously, discounted advent foods were often considered unsafe and rarely purchased. In recent years, with the change of consumption concept and the expansion of sales channels for temporary food, the purchase of temporary food is becoming a new trend of consumption.
In addition to the offline purchase of temporary food consumers like Tao Feifei are not in the minority. Many people also share information about offline food stores in their cities through the Internet.
In the "I Love Advent Food" group of Douban APP, there are more than 70,000 "Advent Food Lovers". The group's introduction reads, "At a discounted price, eat a delicious meal that is not discounted... No shame in the advent food! ”
In the group, there are offline temporary food stores in various places "special buildings", where the team members find and provide information on the temporary food stores in their own cities; there are also "treasure" online stores for temporary food to share: than the price, than the quality, than the end of the period... "There are still 20 days to (to) be" "Of course, I often eat things that are only a week left."
Here, young people gather to share the information collected from various channels on the interim food, they practice their "niche" lifestyle, and are willing to pass on this concept of consumption to more people.
According to the "2020 China Temporary Food Industry Market Analysis and Consumer Research Report" released by Ai Media Consulting in January this year, 47.8% of China's temporary food consumers are currently aged 26-35. The main driving force for Chinese consumers to buy advent food in 2020 is to buy the goods they need at a low price, which is more cost-effective.
In the community supermarket, drinks with "buy one get one free" promotion are held due to the temporary period. Photo by Xu Jing
According to a survey at a convenience store, more than 70% of respondents are willing to buy specials (temporary products) in stores, including many young people. At the same time, the data shows that taking the purchase of temporary products in office stores in April and May this year as an example, "Generation Z" ("post-95" and "post-00s") is the main group of people who buy temporary products.
Zhang Ziping, chief expert of the China Meat Association, said in an interview with reporters that there are three main reasons for the development of the food market in China: First, Chinese has always had the cultural tradition of advocating saving food and opposing waste; second, the civilization of consumers is increasingly improving, and more attention is paid to avoiding food waste; third, some food production enterprises lack of planning, coupled with ineffective marketing, resulting in overcapacity.
Zhang Ziping divided the main groups of people who buy advent food into two categories: one is the people who want to save money, and the other is the "insider" who knows the food safety of various temporary periods. "The safety risks of various types of advent foods are different, and consumers should learn some necessary food safety knowledge to 'know how' to eat with confidence."
"The consumption concept of China's younger generation is changing, and the purchase of advent goods is becoming more 'generous'." Zhong Kai, director of the Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center, said in an interview with reporters.
"Advanced" in the "10 billion market"
Douban user "Squalo" said in an interview that he stumbled upon the concept of "advent food" when searching for a snack four or five years ago. Today, she has developed the habit of placing a single temporary food once a month or two, basically buying it online, and will also go to a large supermarket with a special area for temporary food.
In the chain convenience store "7-ELEVEn" Beijing Xizhimen CapitaLand Mall store, customer Mr. Gao told reporters that he would be more cautious about snacks during the expiration date because he was not sure whether he could eat them within the shelf life. However, for drinks that can be bought out of the box, there is usually no hesitation when purchasing. "The last time I bought advent food was last month, I bought six or seven bottles of drinks at the supermarket, and the price of about one discount was very good, and I drank it in two or three days," he said.
The clerk of a community supermarket in Changping District, Beijing, told reporters that drinks in the pro-period are usually promoted in the form of buy-gifts. However, according to the sales situation, the time for stores to start promotion of temporary drinks is different, some stores start to promote from two months before expiration, and some are the first 40 days and the previous month, "If the temporary period is shorter, we will also consider increasing efforts, such as buying one get two free." She said that in the summer, customers have a high demand for drinks, "like a shopping cart drinks can usually be sold out in a week." ”
In a convenience store near the north campus of Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Aunt Bai, a customer, said that she usually pays attention to saving water and food, and will give priority to food if she sees it. A student Li said that if the seller increases the sales of temporary food, he can guarantee that he will eat it before expiration (such as bread, drinks, etc.), and will give priority to the purchase of temporary food.
Consumer recognition makes the market "money" scene considerable. According to the "2020 China Temporary Food Industry Market Analysis and Consumer Research Report", the market size of China's snack industry will reach 3 trillion yuan in 2020, and the market size is huge. From the supply side, a large number of products will flow into the temporary food industry every year, even if calculated by 1% inventory precipitation, the temporary food will become a "10 billion market".
Let the advent food eat more assured
The sales of temporary food are good, but the food safety problem cannot be ignored, which is also the biggest concern of many consumers to "wait and see" the temporary food.
Zhang Ziping said that at present, there are phenomena such as raw and cooked food containers in some stores, different types of food mixed, and the appropriate storage temperature of different foods, which merchants and consumers need to pay attention to.
Zhang Ziping said that merchants should be placed separately according to the storage conditions (including temperature, light, hygiene, etc.) marked on the food packaging to prevent cross-contamination and deterioration, "can not put all the advent food on the same shelf, if you can prompt consumers how to save after purchase, whether it is suitable for 'hoarding' and other precautions is better, so as to truly achieve the responsibility for consumers." ”
In convenience stores, snacks with "buy one get one free" promotion are held due to the temporary period. Photo by Xu Jing
What types of advent foods can be purchased with confidence? What do I need to pay extra attention to when buying? Zhang Ziping gave the following tips.
Bottled honey and vacuum-packaged coffee powder are not easy to deteriorate food, as long as it is properly stored, it can be eaten with confidence during the shelf life; some vacuum and inflatable packaged foods, such as rice, puffed snacks, their low moisture content, belong to dry foods, and the near period can also be relatively safe to eat; and the more nutritious foods, such as meat, milk, soy products, is also the most "love to eat" of bacteria, to buy as little as possible, such as after the purchase can not be used up at one time, need to be stored in the refrigerator at the correct temperature, You can't harm your health in order to save money.
In addition, attention should also be paid to the nutrition of interim foods. "There is usually no safety problem with advent drinks, but don't buy more high-sugar drinks because of discounts, especially for children."
How can merchants "balance" the sales and safety of food in the immediate period? The reporter learned from a brand chain convenience store that many stores of the brand will set up "special price commodity shelves" for temporary goods. For short-term products (with a shelf life of 24 hours to 72 hours), a model similar to airline discounted tickets has also been introduced, and for fresh food products such as bread, the system will predict the price every 15 minutes according to the dimensions of store product validity, sales volume, and future passenger flow.
"The price of short-term products changes very frequently, and the price will continue to be reduced as the shelf life approaches, and after 8:30 p.m., there are a large number of preferential bento, rice balls, sandwiches, and desserts to encourage everyone to buy," the person in charge said.
The supervision of the food market in the temporary period needs to be strengthened
On April 29 this year, the Anti-Food Waste Law of the People's Republic of China came into effect. Article 12 reads: "Supermarkets, shopping malls, and other food business operators shall strengthen routine inspections of the food they operate, and make special labels or centralized display and sale of food that is close to the shelf life."
In addition, some local regulations also indicate the handling of food in the immediate period. The Beijing Municipal Anti-Food Waste Regulations, which came into effect on May 27 this year, read: "Food business operators such as supermarkets, shopping malls, convenience stores, and farmers' markets shall implement period management of prepackaged food, and classify and manage food that is close to the shelf life for special labeling or centralized display and sale." ”
When the reporter randomly checked the temporary food store of an e-commerce website, he saw that some buyers in the chocolate evaluation area said that they had "melted" and "glued into a lump" when receiving the goods, and the seller did not respond in the comment area. In the "I love temporary food" group, some users posted "lightning protection" posts saying that some stores sell temporary food at the original price, prompting other users not to see the "temporary period" and subconsciously feel cheap, resulting in impulsive consumption. Tao Feifei also mentioned that he hopes that the relevant departments can strengthen supervision and make the market for temporary food more standardized.
Zhong Kai believes that there is still a hidden danger that merchants illegally alter the date in the temporary food market, and it is recommended that consumers buy temporary food in regular supermarkets. If you suspect that the food label has been altered, you can call the consumer complaint and report hotline "12315" or the food and drug complaint reporting telephone "12331" to protect your rights.
In response to the food safety problems caused by improper preservation of some sellers, Zhang Ziping said that on the one hand, the market supervision department should increase the intensity of inspection, "into the warehouse and store inspection"; on the other hand, to refine the requirements and punishment standards for merchants to deal with food, "for example, once some meat products can not reach the storage temperature, microorganisms will exceed the standard, direct eating will lead to diarrhea, so it is necessary to strictly require and increase penalties." (End)
Source: China News Network