Image source: drpatriciamd
Author: FDL Number Food Proposition - Sweet Silk
Body: total 5701 words
After the threshold is subdivided, the children's snack track is still full of gold?
After class and after school, groups of people bought snacks such as Weilong spicy strips, Wangwang crushed ice, and Wahaha, which seemed to be the common childhood memories of countless post-80s and post-90s. Nowadays, when this group of children becomes parents, their children will not have so many opportunities to eat these so-called "junk foods". After all, rumors such as "spicy strips made of mouse meat" and "potato chips fried in the gutter" appeared in an endless stream, although it was difficult to trace whether it was true or false, it still made this group of young parents have palpitations, and they were cautious about what their children ate into their mouths.
At present, children's food on the market is mainly divided into children's staple foods, complementary foods, fresh foods and snacks, etc. Today we are discussing the category of "children's snacks".
With the health trend blowing into all aspects of people's lives, healthy snacks have now become a niche market in the food industry, which has also opened up a new growth path for the children's snack industry.
In 2020, the mainland's first "General Requirements for Children's Snacks" group standard was released. After two years, on May 17, 2022, relying on the national food safety standard, the first children's snack group standard "General Requirements for Children's Snacks" was revised and released again, and the children's snack standards were further subdivided, and a new threshold was added to snacks such as children's candy and chocolate. At the same time, the children's food-related group standards "General Rules for the Certification of "Food Education plus" and "General Requirements for Children's Candy and Chocolate" were also released together.
The release of this series of new standards shows that food safety issues have been further improved, especially for children, and the government has formulated guidance and recommendations on higher safety requirements, nutritional requirements and emotional requirements. At the same time, the new standard also reveals that children's snacks will focus on "nutrition" and "safety" two key word information, and its release standard for the popular category of candy and chocolate shows that competition has entered the subdivision field, and the future industry will be further reshuffled.
So, when children's snacks build walls, and the flames of "small financier dispute" are also ignited, then, how should enterprises seize the strategic highlands in the future?
What is the potential of children's snacking business?
From a global market perspective, according to zion Market Research, the total revenue of the global children's snack industry is about $57.5 billion in 2020, and this market is expected to reach $110.2 billion by 2028. During this period, the highest increase in the global children's snack market is expected to reach 6.1%.
In the mainland, according to the seventh census report released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the population aged 0 to 14 exceeds 250 million, accounting for 17.95% of the national population, an increase of 1.35 percentage points over the last time. At the same time, superimposed on the stimulation effect of the two-child and three-child birth policies, children's food as an indispensable part of children's consumption, the capacity is also expanding, of which the subdivision of children's snacks also eats the dividends of the policy and ushers in business opportunities.
In recent years, the children's snack market has shown a continuous upward trend not only in terms of consumption, number of consumers or brand number, but also achieved two-way growth on the consumption side and supply side. Moreover, compared with the overall snack market, children's snacks continue to increase in the proportion of consumers and consumption, and the market share is also expanding, and its future growth prospects are very impressive.
Image source: CBNData
In fact, the concept of "children's snacks" was first clearly proposed in China in the "General Requirements for Children's Snacks" issued in 2020, which clearly stipulates the nutrition and health of children's snacks.
In reality, however, children's snacks on the market side have a long history.
Speaking of which, everyone must be curious, the original batch of snack brands that grew up with the 80s and 90s, how is it now?
More than 30 years ago, the mainland has already given birth to the elders of the children's snack industry such as Kijiro, Dali, Wangwang and so on, and has accompanied generations of people to grow up together. However, with the development of time, in recent years, these children's snacks seem to have aged and once fell into a "mid-life crisis", which has caused the mainland children's snack industry to encounter a long period of empty windows. After the official implementation of the "General Requirements for Children's Snacks" two years ago, more innovative brands have emerged in the children's snack market, and the mainland children's snack industry has entered a period of rapid development.
In the face of such a huge market, capital also comes according to the incense.
In 2016, the baby and children's food brand "Baby Hungry" was founded; in 2019, the children's cheese brand "Miaofei" was established; in 2020, the infant food supplement brand "Wo Xiao Bud" was founded; in the same year, snack giants such as Liangpingpuzi, Baicaowei, and Three Squirrels also established related children's snack sub-brands; in 2021, the financing of children's snacks was as high as more than ten, and even some cutting-edge brands such as "Doo doocat" received multiple rounds of financing in a year.
Children's snacks have become the "fragrant food" in the eyes of capital.
Image source: CBNData
Although children's snacks present a grand blue ocean, due to the uneven quality, irregularity and low brand trust in the children's snack market, problems such as "false publicity ingredients of merchants" and "product quality errors" have emerged on the complaint platform from time to time.
With all this, will parents really pay with confidence?
The man behind the "little financier"
From a business point of view, it may not be children who really control the right to buy snacks today, but their parents.
In contrast, the post-80s and post-90s have significantly more autonomy in choosing snacks in childhood. Since the material life was still at a low level at that time, in order to meet the market demand at that time, most of the children's snacks were cheap and large, which could meet the needs of children's addiction.
With the reform and opening up, a variety of snacks have entered the Chinese market, from oats to yogurt, further enriching the choice of children's snacks. Children's snack consumption patterns have also changed, and parents have more purchasing power than children, which in turn is driving the growth of the children's snack market.
In this situation, if the brand only focuses on children, but ignores the parents who have more voice, it is obviously an unwise strategy.
Survey results from market research firmPackaged Facts show that children's impact on the food and beverage category is ubiquitous. When it comes to buying food, parents are happy to "splurge" on their children, with about 43 percent of households with children spending $150 a week on related groceries. In the domestic market, according to the relevant report of CBNData, women, married and childbearing people are the main force of children's snack market consumption, and the unit price of female people in 2021 is higher than that of the previous year, and the unit price of married and childbearing people continues to lead other stages of the population.
Image source: CBNData
Millennial parents are expected to represent a larger group of parents over the next few years, who will shape the expectations and habits of the next generation toward snacking. Because of the influence of their parents, the next generation's lifelong eating patterns and brand loyalty are often established in childhood, and when they grow up, they will continue to choose trusted products for their children before they can make a choice. Grasping the intergenerational effect and cultivating generations of consumers is the constant law of the long-term survival of brands.
As an entry brand, how should we create a snack that parents recognize and children like in the future?
Where is the children's snack road?
At present, the children's snack industry in the mainland is still in the early stage of development, and it is obvious that once there is an explosive product, there will be a bunch of "replicas", which also exposes the lack of research and development capabilities and the serious problem of homogenization in the industry. Because the physical and psychological needs of children at different stages of growth are not the same, the demand for children's snacks is different, which requires the industry to develop in the direction of segmentation and differentiation.
In the future, product segmentation and differentiation will be the key to winning the market. The following are several major children's snack innovation directions that summarize the latest domestic policies and the hottest trends abroad.
Image source: scmp
1, do not do "small fat mound"
On the recent 520 Student Nutrition Day, the high rate of adolescent obesity worried experts and scholars attending the 2022 Food Education China Summit Forum. According to the newly released "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)", the overweight obesity rate of children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 is as high as 19.0%, which means that about one in five children and adolescents is overweight and obese, and mainland adolescents are suffering from "unbearable weight".
On the surface, this appears to be overnutrition, but in fact it is malnutrition. Experts explain that too much body fat can make children prone to vitamin D deficiency, which will affect the absorption of calcium and bone development, and even cause problems such as osteoporosis.
Other studies have shown that children's transformation into "little sugar people" is mostly caused by obesity. "Obesity is a risk factor for high-prevalence diseases in adulthood such as hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, essential hypertension, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome." Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Child and Adolescent Health at Peking University, said. More long-term follow-up studies have found that obese people in childhood have about 24 times higher risk of developing diabetes in adulthood than people of normal weight.
Therefore, it is imperative to maintain a healthy weight in children. "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" prescribes "prescriptions", and children's scientific reduction starts from adjusting the diet structure, "drinking enough water, drinking less or no sugary drinks", "learning to choose food and life skills with reasonable food." Eat breakfast every day, choose snacks reasonably, and avoid the intake of foods such as high sugar, high salt, and high oil.
Example:
The Collective, a brand known for its children's snacks, launches its sugar-free children's yogurt line "suckies".
According to the company, the new products are made with all-natural ingredients, including British whole milk and fresh fruit, with no additional added sugar, and the sweetness comes from milk and fruit raw materials. Yogurt is also fortified with vitamins, proteins and live bacteria that boost children's immunity and support the development of children's teeth and bones, and is gluten-free to meet children's daily balanced diet needs. Adhering to the proposition of not adding sugar or compromising on taste, the new sugar-free "suckies" contain three flavors: strawberry banana, banana cocoa, and mango peach, all of which meet international HFSS standards.
The launch of the Children's Collection, supported by a national media campaign, is one of The Collective's largest ever marketing campaigns. In order to match the marketing, the company has redesigned the outer packaging of "suckies", not only to enhance its colorful style, but also to print the mascot of the children's series "Alfie the Dog" in the packaging bag, making the product more prominent on the shelf and increasing the appeal to children. The back of the bag is also printed with jokes, tongue twisters and riddles that children like.
Tor Hunt-Taylor, Marketing Director at The Collective UK, commented: "We are proud that The Collective is a market leader in innovative product ingredients and packaging forms and is committed to evolving lifestyles to meet emerging consumers. While deliciousness will always be the number one priority of our products, we are always looking for new ways to ensure that consumers can enjoy delicious food while being healthier, especially products designed for children. ”
Image source: Dairy Industries
2. Improper "small glasses"
In recent years, the myopia rate of adolescents in mainland China has shown a trend of younger age and high incidence rate, and the situation of "small glasses" has become more and more, which has seriously affected the physical and mental health of children. Myopia has become one of the major health problems faced by adolescents on the mainland. According to the "White Paper on Chinese Eye Health" released by the National Health Commission in Beijing Tongren Hospital in 2020, the overall myopia rate of children and adolescents in China reached 53.6% in 2018. At this year's National Two Sessions, "reducing the incidence of myopia in children and adolescents" has also become one of the focus issues.
Then, in addition to restricting the use of electronic products, increasing extracurricular activities and other eye care practices, children's daily diet can also be supplemented.
Example:
German children's health brand Inne has launched an eye-protecting vitamin gummy.
The product uses two ingredients, lutein and zeaxanthin naturally extracted from marigold, and is added according to the patented formula ratio of 5:1. Studies have shown that myopia in children is associated with a decrease in the density of RPE (retinal pigment epithelial cells), and appropriate supplementation of lutein and zeaxanthin can help prevent eye axis elongation and control myopia development. At the same time, the unique ingredient of the gummy is added to the racemic zeaxanthin, which can protect the eyes against blue light and protect the center of the macula; it is also added to the natural blueberry juice flavor, which can accelerate the blood circulation of the eyeballs while making the soft candy full of fragrance, which is more popular with children. The product has been certified by the United States Pharmacopeia, NSF (Good Manufacturing Practice) and Non-GMO Safety.
Image source: Google
3, both eat well, but also delicious
In a study by amplifysnackbrands, millennial moms bought more healthy snacks for their children each month than parents of any other age, with 21 percent of moms trying 3 healthy snacks in a month. Millennials are developing a health-oriented eating habit for their children. In the study, 69 percent of millennial moms claimed their children could differentiate between healthy snacks and 55 percent said their children would rely on parental choice.
According to a survey by Tate, 87% of parents would choose certified foods. Therefore, for parents, the labels of "clean" and "healthy" are more attractive. Although parents will prefer healthy foods, they also give their children the right to choose snacks, and they are unlikely to buy snacks that are only healthy but not loved by their children.
Brands should be healthy, nutritious and delicious when innovating children's products.
Example:
Snack company Eat the Change launches its first marketed Children's Vegetable Snack Cosmic Carrot Chews.
It is reported that the new product series is made of four vegetable ingredients, of which carrot and fruit are the main features of the product, including sour cherry berry, orange mango and apple cinnamon three flavors to choose from, each sachet of product contains 60 calories and a dehydrated carrot.
Spike Mendelsohn, co-founder of Eat the Change, said the product was inspired by his thinking about food waste, which is both eco-friendly and a healthier alternative to 'fruit snacks'. "I was working on a carrot chip product, but because I received another variety of carrots and couldn't waste food, I pickled and dehydrated them, and the result was that they had a more chewy, crispy texture than fries. When I finally brought home the dehydrated carrots for my son to taste, he said he loved it, and I knew we were doing a great job, a product that was both eco-friendly and a healthier alternative to 'fruit snacks'. ”
At present, consumers can purchase new products at stores such as Whole Foods Market Mid-Atlantic, MOM's Organic Market, Erewhon and Hy-Vee, or order online through the official website of eatthechange, the suggested retail price is $4.49 per pack, parents can choose according to their children's nutritional status, and can be eaten with lunch.
图源：Eat the Change
4. Enjoy "food"
In modern society, there are many people who lack basic eating skills and education, do not know where their food comes from, how it is produced, what a balanced diet is, and are unable to choose and prepare healthy foods. A survey by the British Heart Foundation found that 37% of children aged 8-14 did not know that cheese was made from milk, and 36% knew nothing about the composition of potato chips.
According to a kantar study, 35% of parents regularly buy foods that make their children happy, preferring snack products that perfectly combine taste, gaming experience, and packaging design. Such products can not only be more attractive to young children, but also enhance children's imagination, creativity and cognitive ability, in the process of "eating" and having fun, they can also develop children's social skills, release nature, and increase the fun of parent-child time.
In the short term, children can choose and prepare healthy diets for themselves after receiving proper diet education; in the long run, food education can improve the country's "food IQ" as a whole.
Example:
As the name suggests, Chiyuko is a candy that can have an educational effect on children, and in order to cultivate children's rich creativity, it is a candy original from Japan.
Zhiyuguo is a sweet treat in which children mix powder and water by themselves and perform movements such as kneading, kneading, squeezing, and shaping. It is said that through this process, children will be able to exercise their thinking skills, stimulate their curiosity, grow up in play, and naturally acquire a wealth of creativity.
Kracie's Pop Pinkin Fun Sushiya-san is a handmade dessert where kids can make sushi candies that look the same as real sushi using powder and water. The box includes soda-flavored sushi rice, grape-flavored tuna, apple-flavored eggs, and orange-flavored salmon roe (kids can also create realistic salmon roe with tools such as droppers), and through these different shapes, children can create a variety of sushi to their imagination. At the same time, the product is also combined with soy sauce (soda flavor), making the overall degree of reduction higher. In addition, as a small snack for children, the product contains calcium elements that help bone growth and development, while not using artificial colors or preservatives.
Image source: Google
Number food claims:
With the "refined parenting" gradually penetrating into the concept of a new generation of parents, their assessment of children's snacks in nutrition, quality, safety and other aspects will become more stringent, and the needs of consumers will promote the development of the industry in the direction of diversification, health and transparency. The launch of the group standard is only a prerequisite for the healthy development of the children's snack industry, and it still needs to be regulated later, and the supervision needs to be strengthened.
Under this standard, the first entrant enterprises should lead by example, form a brand reputation, and set a good example for the latecomers. For powerful enterprises, they should use the digital management model to establish a complete supply chain and do a good job of food traceability, so as to reduce or even eliminate the occurrence of food safety problems.
At the same time, the only way to break through the inner volume and form a differentiated advantage is to achieve the brand's own innovation and research and development, light marketing, heavy research and development, and develop products based on user needs and consumer psychology, so as to stabilize the tone of the brand, maintain customer stickiness, establish new brand barriers, and even drive the transformation and upgrading of the industry.
After all, only brands that stand in the user's perspective are the brands that are really needed.
Resources:
1、 What’s the Next Growing Trend of Children’s Snacks in China?
2. Children's snacks are coming? Parents are not so good at talking
3. The children's snack standard has a subdivided "threshold", and the good shop continues to promote the landing of children's food education
4, nearly 20% of overweight and obesity! The "weight" that teenagers can't afford
5. Children's snacks, rising in the sinking
6. A subdivision of 250 million children with fire? Health food is locking in this group...