This article is from WeChat official account:FBIF Food and Beverage Innovation (ID: FoodInnovation) , author: Yanyan, edit: Bobo, head – source: “lonely gourmet”

In addition to Sanquan, Si Nian, and Wan Chai Pier, what other frozen food brands do you think of?

In the past two years, the fast-frozen food track can be described as a newcomer. We have seen that in addition to Zhong Xuegao, Zhongjie, Ramen Shuo and other brands, they have crossed the borders to come in and share a piece of the pie. New frozen food brands are also Relying on the small achievements in differentiated innovation, I want to expand the market with leading companies and bring new vitality to China’s quick-frozen food on the road to more high-end and younger generation.

In fact, quick-frozen food has not yet become a daily diet of people in China, but it is very common in foreign countries. For example, quick-frozen food has penetrated into the daily lives of Japanese people. Starting from October 18, 1986, Japan has also set a special “Frozen Food Day” (Japan will Quick-frozen food and frozen food are collectively referred to as frozen food. In this article, we mainly discuss quick-frozen food).

Japan is now the world’s third largest consumer market for quick-frozen food and the largest consumer market in Asia, with an annual consumption of over 3 million tons. [1]

In the face of the huge market, the innovations of various Japanese manufacturers in quick-frozen food have also made every effort. Not only do they innovate in variety and taste, but even the cooking methods are becoming “black technology” year by year.

Learning from our neighbors, what can we learn from the earlier, more mature, and more similar Japanese market? Under the trend that Chinese brands want to redo each category, how can Chinese brands use quick-freezing technology to seize the opportunity?

Where is the “scent” of Japanese frozen food?

As we all know, Japan attaches great importance to food technology research and development, and continues to surprise consumers with its unique innovation capabilities. Frozen foodIn the field of food products, the Japanese also use ingenuity and innovation to continue to evolve quick-frozen food.

How does Japan make quick-frozen foods?

Everything can be “frozen”

In Japan, in addition to tempura, everything can be frozen. There are over 3000 varieties of Japanese quick-frozen food, and there are more than 2400 kinds of prepared foods alone. [1]

The diversification of quick-frozen food in Japan is reflected in the diversification of quick-frozen materials. In addition to our common pastries, dishes can be quick-frozen, vegetables, fruits, and desserts can also be quick-frozen.

The sales of “quick-frozen blueberries” of Japanese quick-frozen food manufacturer Life Foods increased by 75% in 2020, and the sales of “mixed berries” doubled. In fact, this company not only freezes fruits such as mangoes and avocados, but also vegetables such as spinach, eggplants, and okra.

These quick-frozen fruits and vegetables that are cut in advance eliminate the food processing process that most consumers hate, and can be used according to their own needs to avoid waste.

Life Foods’ quick-frozen avocado slices, picture source: Life Foods official website

On the other hand, Japan is good at drawing inspiration from the cuisine of various countries.

The Japanese quick-frozen food market is equivalent to a smorgasbord of cuisines from all over the world. When we walk into Japanese supermarkets, in addition to Western-style quick-frozen pasta, potato patties, etc., quick-frozen siu mai, dandan noodles and other Chinese dishes can even produce The illusion of a domestic supermarket.

According to the enterprise search platform, as of January 2021, more than 80,000 quick-frozen food companies have been registered across the country. (the key word for selection is quick-frozen food) . Among them, there are nearly 60,000 in business/existing status.

However, we also need some cool thinking.

The development of quick-frozen food in Japan is generally believed to have begun in 1920, while the budding period in my country was in the 1980s, with a difference of at least 60 years.

In fact, from 1997 to 2016, the Japanese quick-frozen food industry also experienced a rapid reshuffle. At that time, the number of factories was reduced by 51%. After the waves and the sand, the current stable competition pattern has been formed. It is foreseeable that in China, when the size of the quick-frozen food industry is large enough and the competition pattern is clear enough, it is bound to eliminate the naked swimmers.

Compared with the Japanese market, China’s quick-frozen food industry has certain particularities. One is the convenience and diversification of take-out and offline restaurants; the second is that the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables and meat in China is lower than that in Japan, and shopping is more convenient; the third is that consumers’ perceptions have not completely changed.

So, when we play the game of frozen food, what can we learn from Japan?

First of all, catching the consumption trend of young people may be a breakthrough. Health, beauty, fun, and convenience are all tools for differentiation.

Secondly, the channels for quick-frozen food are far more limited than household consumption. China has a broader market to be tapped. For example, as early as the 1990s, quick-frozen foods with a higher degree of standardization and safety followed the popularization of school lunches and entered Japanese schools. At that time, quick-frozen foods such as fish fillets and croquettes were popular with students and cultivated a lot of them. Potential consumers in the future.

Finally, communicate with consumers to gain more brand recognition. Japanese quick-frozen food companies will teach consumers on official websites and social platforms to make quick-frozen food more delicious and look better, so that consumers will gradually change their inherent impression that eating quick-frozen food is improvised.

In 2020, a housewife in Japan issued a post saying that one day she made quick-frozen dumplings for dinner, and her son had a very happy meal, but her husband thought it was lazy. Ajinomoto paid attention to this matter, and wrote that quick-frozen food is to help mothers who are working hard to do the pre-trivial chores, such as cutting vegetables, meat, and stuffing, and spend more time with people and things around them. Ajinomoto’s article has aroused the approval of many netizens, and nearly 300,000 netizens like it.

In today’s society, brands cannotOnly unilaterally export brand ideas through shelves and advertisements. The image of the old brand has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The advantage is that it has gained a higher degree of trust. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to break through the old image. Then a new brand like a piece of white paper can make use of its strengths and avoid weaknesses, and find new and consumer products from platforms such as social media. Communication methods.

Generally speaking, in the fast-frozen food track, using differentiated products to break through, build up the supply chain and channel system, and finally integrate the brand into the minds of consumers may be an effective path.

Reference source:

[1]China Industry Information Network

[2]Cao Desheng. (1994). Quick-frozen food technical regulations—national standards. The first national quick-frozen convenience food technology and equipment exhibition papers compilation.

This article is from WeChat official account:FBIF Food and Beverage Innovation (ID: FoodInnovation), author: Yanyan, edit: Bobo