China: Snacks show Far Eastern promise

China has felt the impact of the global recession, and new products recorded by Mintel’s Global New Products Database fell from a 14,000 high in 2007 to 11,760 and 10,177 in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

The leading markets of skincare, bakery, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages have all slowed in the last three years, although the snacks sector rebounded in 2009 after new product launches halved in 2008. The alcoholic drinks market remains weak, with just 61 new products last year.

Flexible packaging remains the most popular for new product launches, but bottles and tubes are gaining ground. The use of most other pack formats has remained fairly constant, but jars have become less popular and around 50% fewer new products are packed in cartons compared to two years ago.

TOP 10 NEW PRODUCT TYPES
Skincare 1,381
Snacks 1,135
Bakery 920
Non-alcoholic beverages 857
Colour cosmetics 768
Sauces and seasonings 655
Dairy 608
Haircare 451
Meals and meal centres 440
Soap and bath products 370

TOP 10 PACK TYPES FOR NEW PRODUCTS
Flexible 4,645
Bottle 2,316
Tube 912
Jar 687
Carton 467
Tub 365
Can 227
Case 197
Blister card 109
Tray 48

Source: Mintel GNPD, products launched during 2009

NEW PACKS
1 Unif Hao Jing Dao Instant Egg Noodles The noodles were launched in February with a new recipe to, apparently, make them chewier. The flexible plastic has been gravure printed.

2 Lesson dairy yoghurt This yoghurt pack launched last month in a plastic-lined board format that has been gravure printed. It is topped with a foil lid.

3 Choffee coffee tablets A polypropylene container with a lid has been adopted for this range of coffee tablets. The self-adhesive label is paper-based and has been litho-printed with foil blocking.

4 Kosé Sekkisei A plastic bottle with a pump dispenser that has a clip to prevent spillage has been adopted for this cleansing milk range. The foil-lined carton is litho printed.

5 Heinz Baked Beans This pack of Heinz Baked Beans comes in the traditional metal can format, with a ring pull lid and wraparound paper label that has been litho printed.

6 Kangmei Ju Huang Tea This herbal tea comes in a novel format for the Chinese market in the form of a cloth bag that is tied with a ribbon and has been decorated using litho printing. The sachets it contains are made from metallised film.

Mintel GNPD is a web-based database capturing new product and packaging data from around the world. Information on packaging for each product includes photography, data on material, format, closure, label, decorative processes, inserts, production methods, style details and security aspects. GNPD also offers editorial features on packaging trends. Visit www.gnpd.com.

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