Chilled Food in China 2009: A Market Analysis

Abstract

REPORT COVERAGE

This report covers the market for chilled foods in the People' s Republic of China. The report covers the following sectors and subsectors:

• Chilled Processed Fish
  • Smoked fish
  • Fish roe
  • Pickled fish
• Chilled Ready Meals
  • Savoury pastries
  • Fresh noodles & sauces
  • Pizzas
  • Prepared dishes
• Chilled Meats
  • Sausages & salamis
  • Cooked meat
  • Sliced meats
  • Meat snacks
• Chilled Desserts
  • Fruit based yoghurt
  • Flavoured yoghurt
  • Plain yoghurt (single retail portions)
  • Other chilled desserts.

KEY REPORT FEATURES

This recently updated report includes:

• An overview of China' s total food market with sales statistics up to interim 2009;
• The total value and volume of chilled food retail sales, including by sector and region, up to interim 2009;
• Leading manufacturer market shares based on revenues to 2008;
• Volume & value forecast the meat market in China up to 2014;
• The retail chilled food market background and current issues;
• Marketing & distribution;
• SWOT analysis
• Key manufacturer profiles
• Key contacts & trade events;
• Overview of China' s demographics and macroeconomics.

Executive Summary

Between 2003 and 2009, the total current value market for chilled foods in China grew by 146.94%, though the rate of growth fluctuated considerably during that period. Overall the compound annual growth rate was 13.79%.

The ownership of refrigerators was only 26.12 per 100 rural households in 2007, compared to 95.03 in urban households.

Total volume retail sales of chilled foods in China is estimated to grow to 1.23 million tonnes by the end of 2009, rising by 114.9% over 2003. Between 2003 and end-2009, the compound annual growth rate is estimated to be about 11.55%.

Improved choice in the market stems in part from vast improvements in China' s distribution networks - thanks in turn to expanding transport networks - which have helped to develop more regional trade in chilled foods. More produce is therefore moving around the country, reaching more consumers in more regions, raising the size of the potential market.

Chilled foods are mainly sold through new retail formats such as supermarkets and hypermarkets. Organised supermarket chains are gaining significance as sellers of chilled foods, and are at the vanguard of spreading distribution of these products into more parts of the country.

This suits the increasingly sophisticated and demanding needs of urban consumers with rising incomes. People are now able to buy more expensive chilled foods than before, leading to greater demand for variety and quality of products.

As incomes and lifestyles improve, Chinese consumers are showing a greater interest in a more varied diet, and cooking with a wider variety of products. As in the West, cookery programmes have proliferated on Chinese television. Similarly, cookery books now fill large sections of local bookshops, reflecting considerable interest in cuisine amongst consumers.

The increasing availability of processed and packaged foods has also added to the general growth in people' s interest in food, and all of these factors add to the growing demand for more variety and better quality of chilled food products. Sharp growth in consumer demand has prompted manufacturers to introduce greater efficiencies into their organisations.

However, frequent food safety scares, especially related to hygiene, disease and the use of rapid growth hormones, have all added to consumer nervousness about the food that they buy, and these issues have the potential to seriously harm the chilled food market.