2023Food Research Expo Super Ingredients Conference
In the past few years, China's 'big health' industry has developed rapidly, to2030In [year], the scale of China's health industry is expected to reach16Trillion yuan. As one of the industries closest to end-consumers, the 'health' concept is accelerating its penetration into people's daily dietary scenarios.
Eating Research ExchangeFTASponsored “2023The Food Ingredients Super Conference ” is held at11month29day-30The conference was held in Hangzhou on the 1st, with the theme 'Making Food Innovation Simpler'.1The event includes the main forum and four parallel sub-forums: 'Sugar Alcohols and Functional Sugars', 'Synthetic Biology', 'Intestinal Health', and 'Oral Beauty'. It fully leverages the brand advantages of Food Research & Innovation, delves into 'Super Ingredients', explores 'Popular Ingredients', and brings together experts from the global food and beverage industry, well-known enterprises, university scholars, and innovative brands. By combining cutting-edge depth with top-tier elegance, it opens up new horizons in food and jointly contributes to the innovation of food ingredients.
Frost & SullivanFrost & SullivanZhang Jian, Partner and Managing Director of Frost & Sullivan's Greater China Region, was invited to attend the conference. He participated in the Sugar Substitutes and Functional Sugar Forum, delivered a keynote speech on 'The Development Trends of China's Sugar Substitutes Industry', shared the current situation, consumer profile, market scale and development trends of China's sugar substitute industry, and also took part in the roundtable forum. Together with the attending guests, they discussed how future foods can balance sweetness and health.
Partner and Managing Director of Frost & Sullivan Greater China Region Zhang Jian
According to Zhang Jian, the first generation of sweetener sodium saccharin was born in1879In [year], the industry has evolved to include the sixth-generation sweetener product - Nuotai, and future sweetener-related products are expected to continue updating and iterating. Currently, the upstream raw materials of China's sugar substitute industry include natural plants, enzyme preparations, chemical raw materials, etc.; the midstream involves a series of production processes such as extraction, processing, and synthesis of raw materials; the downstream is divided intoTo BandTo CTwo sales ends,BThe end product is mid-game sold to brand owners, who then incorporate sweeteners into their products.CThe end product is for direct consumption by consumers.
With the improvement of residents' living standards, their sugar intake has risen, leading to increasingly serious problems such as obesity and diabetes among Chinese residents.2020In China, the overweight rate and obesity rate among adults were35%and15%, as compared to1992In [year], the overweight rate and obesity rate increased significantly;2011The number of diabetic patients per year is2001year4times,2021The annual diabetes multiple soared2001year6times. Consumer demand is constantly increasing, with heightened awareness of sugar reduction. The market for low-sugar and sugar-free products has begun to rise, boosting the development and technological innovation of China's sugar substitute industry.
"The demand for artificial sweeteners is constantly increasing, the global artificial sweetener market is growing steadily, natural sweeteners are performing outstandingly, and there is broad room for growth in China's artificial sweetener industry." Zhang Jianjian further said,2020The global scale of artificial sweeteners is192.3Billions of dollars, limited by its non-natural nature and relatively low safety level, has led to a slow growth trend in the artificial sweetener market.2016 - 2020The annual compound growth rate of the artificial sugar industry is only4%The global natural sugar substitute industry is seeing considerable development potential, as2016year50.2USD billion growth to2020year80.1billion US dollars, with a compound growth rate of10%Due to the advantages of natural sugar substitutes such as health and good taste, their scale is expected to further expand, by2026The year will grow to166.7US dollar, compound growth rate13%.
China is the largest producer of artificial sweeteners, accounting for about [missing percentage] of the global production.75%It is expected that China's consumer market will further expand.2022The market scale of sugar substitutes in China in 2019 was approximately70RMB 10 billion, and the total consumption of sugar substitutes is about3010,000 tons. With the continuous increasing demand for artificial sweeteners, it is expected that by2023The annual market scale will reach201RMB 10 billion, with a compound growth rate of14.12%estimated2030The total consumption of confectionery products in the year is about47010,000 tons.
Zhang Jian pointed out that at present, the sugar-free diet in China is still in its infancy. The penetration rate of sugar-free beverages, baked goods, candies, frozen drinks, and other food and beverage categories is far lower than that in developed countries. Consumers are more receptive, the scale is growing rapidly, and there is still considerable room for development. It is expected that by2030In [year], the incremental space for China's sugar substitute industry is44010,000 tons.
When discussing the future development trend of the artificial sugar industry, Zhang Jian said:
① The pattern of artificial sugar substitutes will change. The internal structure of synthetic sweeteners has been evolving continuously. Aspartame, the previous king of artificial sweeteners, is gradually being replaced. Sucralose and trehalose are growing rapidly due to their relative safety;
② Affected by the booming demand for sugar-free beverages downstream, the concept of sugar-free and healthy lifestyles has further taken root in consumers' consciousness, with the market share of natural sugar substitutes increasing year by year;
The compounding of sweeteners utilizes the synergistic effects between various sweeteners and the physiological characteristics of taste to achieve a more diverse range of flavors. The use of compound sweeteners has become more common and widespread, with the market gradually expanding;
④ The application scenarios of artificial sweeteners are rich and diverse. Sugar-free beverages and sugar-free baking will be areas of rapid market growth. In addition to snack foods, condiments and personal care products are also major current application scenarios for artificial sweeteners, which will drive more application consumption in the future;
⑤ Erythritol has become a new consumption trend for sugar substitutes, and the compliant entry of allose into the food additive field in China is a milestone that will change the competitive structure of China's sugar substitute industry.
Although consumers have a strong awareness of reducing sugar intake, humans are naturally infatuated with and love sweetness. They do not want to sacrifice sweetness, so future foods need to balance sweetness with health. On the day of the event, chaired by Yuan Peng, Deputy Director of the Food Department at the China National Institute of Food Technology, Zhang Jian and colleagues including Tian Shi Yi, Deputy Dean of the School of Food and Bioengineering at Zhejiang Gongshang University, Lu Kai, Marketing Director of Guilin Rhine Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and Zou Qibo, Managing Director of Zhangjiagang Fujijia Food Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Daoxiangcun Group, engaged in a deep discussion on 'How can future foods balance sweetness and health?'
Against the backdrop of increasingly severe chronic diseases and obesity issues globally, consumers are paying more attention to their sugar intake and have started to strictly control their sugar consumption. How should we view this trend of reducing sugar consumption? Under the general trend of sugar reduction, how should food companies innovate?
Zhang Jian stated that the sugar reduction trend has never been accidental. Currently, chronic diseases and obesity are becoming increasingly serious worldwide, consumers are paying more attention to their sugar intake, and have begun to strictly control their sugar consumption. Sugar reduction has become a focal topic at the forefront of the food industry. With the awakening of the 'anti-sugar movement' and public health awareness, 'sensitivity to the taste of sugar' has become a consensus among many consumers.
An upgrade and reshaping of the food industry are imminent, with many food companies joining the sugar reduction movement. Against this backdrop, Zhang Jian believes that 'innovation in the sugar reduction sector lies in perseverance!'
Zhang Jian used Nongfu Spring's Oriental Leaf as an example, pointing out,2011In [year], when Nongfu Spring's Oriental Leaf had just been launched on the market, it received a very poor response. However, Nongfu Spring never gave up on the Oriental Leaf product line, firmly believing that sugar-free would be the trend in the future beverage market. They made extensive brand promotion and product innovation, and made multiple improvements in packaging, taste, and other aspects. Ten years later, Oriental Leaf has seen a consumer upgrade towards 'sugar-free' and 'healthy' products, becoming the market leader in the sugar-free tea category.
