According to Innova’s global new product database statistics, in the past five years, the average annual compound growth rate of new products released in China’s prepared dishes is about 7%. In 2018, China surpassed Japan and became the country with the most new products of prepared dishes released in Asia.
Product Positioning
Although the number of new Chinese prefabricated dishes has increased significantly, its product positioning still focuses on convenience—this is also the most obvious feature of prefabricated dishes. The database shows that in the past three years, the common product positioning of new Chinese prepared dishes includes “easy to cook”, “time saving”, “convenient packaging” and “microwave heating”. One kind accounts for 10%.
While other aspects of product positioning, such as health benefits (e.g. “low/no/reduced fat”), clean labels (e.g. “no additives/preservatives”), while prevalent in most food There are very few in China, accounting for only 1% to 2%. It can be seen that there is great potential for new product innovation of prefabricated dishes.
Product health
List “Health Consensus” as one of China’s top ten food and beverage trends in 2022: Health claims have become the “standard configuration” of products and can be seen in almost every food category. In a consumer survey, nearly 80% of Chinese consumers said they want food that is both healthy and indulgent.
Prepared dishes companies can reduce “bad” ingredients – such as low fat, low sugar, low sodium, etc.; use natural ingredients – such as using natural flavors, preservatives, etc., or improve product functionality – such as high protein, adding probiotics Bacteria, etc., to improve the health of the product. Health can be carried out through the source of prefabricated dishes. Every prefabricated dish needs to be frozen and kept fresh from the beginning to the finished product or semi-finished product. Dejieli liquid nitrogen quick freezing machine equipment starts from the source of prefabricated vegetables. Use liquid nitrogen as the refrigerant. The lowest temperature reaches -196°C, which can maintain the original nutritional value, color, fragrance and taste of food to the greatest extent. Prefabricated dishes will undergo many changes during the freezing process, such as physical changes, cell tissue changes, and microbial changes, etc. The cell membrane of quick-frozen food will not be damaged, and the original taste, texture and nutrition can be maintained after thawing.
Improve product experience
Despite eating at home, consumers still expect a good eating experience, which is the new expectation of consumers for prepared dishes. Prepared vegetable companies should focus on improving the taste and flavor of their products. At the same time, nearly 60% of Chinese consumers said that they are more eager than ever to obtain novel experiences through food and beverages. Therefore, businesses can use creativity and technology to create refreshing products, allowing consumers to gain new senses from food experience.
In addition, prefabricated dishes can also be used as a reference for catering, so that consumers can get the sense of ritual and social interaction of dining out at home, and bring more additional experiences to consumers.
