Compound condiments flourish Healthy and delicious can not be less

Source: China Consumer Daily

Reporter Meng Gang

In terms of cooking, young consumers attach the most importance to convenience, and with the rise of young consumer groups, compound seasonings have become a hot consumer choice in the market. The compound seasoning market has developed rapidly, and the scale has exceeded 100 billion yuan. Industry experts believe that compared with a single condiment, compound seasoning research and development is more difficult, the need to strengthen innovation, on the basis of ensuring safety and health, how to improve the taste is the key.

Many enterprises have accelerated their layout

The sense of taste is rising. Since the beginning of this year, not only many new brands have launched many products, but also the power of traditional condiment enterprises such as Haitian, Qianhe and Taitaile has increased.

Recently, Tai Tai Le's main "one package to get it" recipe-style spices launched a large plate of chicken, sour soup fat beef, spicy pot 3 kinds of restaurant hot selling flavors, "one squeeze is available" oyster sauce series in addition to the "abalone sauce oyster sauce" launched in the year, but also launched salt-reduced oyster sauce, stir-fried vegetable oyster sauce and other 5 new flavors, this year's new product launch also launched the "Tai Tai Le soup fresh" series, strongly settled in the soup market.

In addition, following the launch of 4 hot pot base products in 2020, in 2021, the Haitian hot pot base product line was expanded to 9 products, and this year began to increase the composite condiment SKU; Lee Kum Kee launched the "One Trick Win" series of new products, including 5 products such as sour and refreshing golden soup sauce and spicy pot sauce; Qianhe Flavor Industry recently launched 5 new products in the official flagship stores of Tmall and Jingdong, including fish flavor meat seasoning, green shoot potato roast chicken seasoning, etc.; Kitchen State launched 5 hot pot bases.

In addition to traditional condiment enterprises, the "Condiment Investment and Financing Data Report for the First Half of 2021" recently launched by the Enterprise Chacha Data Research Institute and the Big Data Information Center of the China Condiment Association shows that there were 6 condiment brand financing incidents in the first half of 2021, and the amount disclosed exceeded 140 million yuan. Specifically, well-known brands such as full taste, add some taste, and flavor yuan hongfang have obtained financing.

Data show that in 2020, the scale of China's compound seasoning market will exceed 140 billion yuan, and it is expected to reach 158.8 billion yuan in 2021, and the compound seasoning market is growing rapidly.

Add some ingredients to the table for young people

The national standard "Compound Seasoning" issued in 2018 stipulates that compound seasoning is "a liquid, semi-solid or solid product that can be made of liquid, semi-solid or solid products with two or more seasonings as raw materials, with or without adding auxiliary materials" by the corresponding process". Although the current compound seasoning market is in a stage of rapid growth, the penetration rate in China is only 26%, which is still a blue ocean market with great potential. "I don't know how to cook, usually there is no time, with compound spices to improve my cooking skills, cooking basically on the table, this is my feeling of using compound spices, I think compound spices are for our young people to add the material." 」 Recently, Ms. Wang, who works in the media, told reporters.

The reporter learned that the B-end restaurant chain trend on the demand for compound condiments, the C-end family population reduction brought about by the "nuclear family" and other reasons, led to the development of "cooking economy", more and more post-90s, post-00s as "cooking white" demand for compound condiments is larger, these are the sources of huge market increments.

Zhang Xiqiang, president of Shanghai Taitaile Food Co., Ltd., said that the development of compound seasonings is more related to the young Generation Z population, most of the young people of this generation can be summarized by "lazy house rush", and compound seasonings can allow them to make a meal in less time. A pack of recipe-style compound seasonings, plus some of the main ingredients, can make an authentic meal. For example, mapo tofu, with a pack of recipe-style seasonings, you can buy a piece of tofu with seasonings.

Recently, the reporter found in Wumart Supermarket Beijing Zengguang Road store that in the condiment area, there are more and more varieties of compound seasonings, not only delicious hot pot base and sauce and other products, some recipe-style compound seasonings also appear on the shelves, but they are some small brands, and the above-mentioned corporate recipe compound seasoning products are less displayed offline.

Compared with single seasonings, compound seasonings effectively simplify the cooking process, allowing consumers to make professional chef-level cuisine at home, and also meeting consumers' diverse culinary needs for different regional cuisines.

Chinese food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng told the "China Consumer Daily" reporter that compound seasonings from the scientific and technological content to the packaging, from the function to the convenience, and then to the mode of operation, etc., compared with the traditional brand, there are very big differences and advantages, based on the entire new generation of demographic dividends and continuous superposition of the specific performance, matching the new generation of consumer thinking and consumption behavior.

Strengthening innovation is the key

Zhang Xiqiang said that the development speed of compound condiments has been faster than the overall market, and the industry's innovation is more focused on the condensation and cracking of key core technologies, product innovation is more differentiated, and innovation in the field of flavor ingredients is also very active, showing the development trend of technological upgrading, nutrition and health, and natural green.

Shao Wei, vice president and secretary general of the Chinese Society for Science and Technology, told the "China Consumer Daily" reporter that the current innovation in the field of flavor ingredients is very active, especially the composite seasoning has become an important category, the industry has fully considered the application scenarios, closely combined with the needs of the market, developed a composite seasoning product for the catering and takeaway industry, more targeted, more convenient.

Undoubtedly, the entry of traditional condiment companies will accelerate the speed of consumer education and is expected to open up the market share that is being imprisoned. However, compared with a single condiment, compound seasoning is more difficult in product extension and innovation to develop different flavors, and how to improve the taste is the key on the basis of ensuring safety and health.

"I hope there are more healthy and delicious things that fit into my life just right." The voice of consumer Ms. Wang represents the needs of many consumers.

Chen Junshi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told the China Consumer Daily reporter that starting from the category of food, the development of nutrition and health can make it continue to move forward. Based on the needs of users, continuous innovation, to achieve a win-win situation in taste and nutritional value of the enterprise will be promising. "Three reductions" (salt reduction, oil reduction, sugar reduction) is the current innovation and development of the grasp, to the condiment industry innovation road provides 4 research and development directions - nutritional strengthening, the use of functional raw materials, health and disease prevention, new raw materials and new tastes, etc., the research and development of new products should be based on market demand, but also rely on science and technology, can make condiments in a safe and healthy dual trend, to achieve another upgrade of flavor quality.

"Condiments on the umami evaluation is a higher requirement, at present we have preliminarily determined the concept of five dimensions of freshness, such as the first sense of solid composite seasoning tasting is the sense of impact, the second is the sense of fullness, the third is the sense of roundness, the fourth is the sense of vitality, the fifth is the sense of persistence." Behind these 5 dimensions there are corresponding backbone components at play. For example, the impact sensation is mainly sodium glutamate, the fullness is yeast, the roundness is the taste peptide, the sense of vitality is saliva secretion, and the long-lasting feeling is mainly disodium nucleotide. Professor Zhao Mouming of South China University of Technology told the China Consumer Daily reporter.