In recent years, as people's living standards have improved, attention to food safety and health has also been steadily increasing. Organic food, guided by the principles of being natural, pollution-free, and free of additives, has become increasingly popular among consumers. It is predicted that China's annual consumption of organic food will approach 1.2 billion yuan this year.
In Shenzhen, a number of businesses have already invested in organic food, such as Walmart, Ruililai, Wangjiahuan, and Chunguyuan. With the groundwork laid by these businesses, more and more consumers are beginning to pay attention to this sector, and “organic consumption” is steadily gaining momentum.
Organic Food Highly Favored
In recent days, reporters visited supermarkets such as Walmart, Rainbow, and Jusco, and found that these supermarkets have all set up dedicated organic food counters, with organic products covering vegetables, rice, meat, mountain delicacies, whole grains, and more.
Although organic food placed on supermarket shelves is priced much higher than ordinary food, it is still favored by consumers.
At the Rainbow supermarket, reporters observed a steady stream of customers selecting organic vegetables. In just half an hour, six customers placed organic vegetables into their shopping baskets. Supermarkets such as Jusco have specially set up organic food counters, with many customers selecting organic red beans, soybeans, and other coarse grain products. At Walmart, the most popular items are organic whole grains such as soybeans, red beans, millet, and brown rice.
According to Huang Zhiping, Senior Director of Walmart (China) Investment Co., Ltd., organic food sales have grown substantially in recent years. Among them, organic vegetables, whole grains, meat, and rice have seen the fastest growth. Despite being priced higher than ordinary food, they are still favored by those who are concerned about health and food safety.
Industry Giants Collectively Invest in Organic Food
Where there is demand, there is a market. In order to gain more “say” in the organic food market, industry giants have coincidentally invested in the organic food market.
As the “leader” in the organic food industry, Ruililai, while leading competitors in organic coarse grains, has also partnered with Walmart to establish an organic edible fungi production base in Haicheng, Liaoning Province.
“Large supermarkets like Walmart have a very strict and standardized process for selecting organic food partner enterprises. Every aspect of the partner enterprise must fully comply with organic standards and certifications before cooperation and sales can proceed,” said Yang Zhifeng, General Manager of Ruililai.
Agricultural product distribution giant — Shenzhen Wangjiahuan Industrial Co., Ltd. — has also quietly extended its reach into this sector. Wang Tianqi, General Manager of Wangjiahuan's Organic Food Division, said: “We began engaging in organic food in 2007. We currently have over 50 organic food products including organic coarse grains, organic mountain delicacies, organic oil, and organic rice, and we have organic food production bases in multiple provinces including Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi.”
However, unlike Ruililai's supermarket channel, Wangjiahuan's organic food mainly goes through group consumption and group procurement channels. Reporters learned that government agencies, schools, financial institutions, hotels, and enterprises are Wangjiahuan's main customers.
Shenzhen Chunguyuan Rice Industry Co., Ltd. is also optimistic about this market. Last year, the company's Beitian Organic Ecological Rice became an instant hit in the market.
Broad Market Prospects
“In recent years, numerous public food contamination incidents have occurred, causing many consumers to change their attitudes. As the highest-level food safety category, organic food is increasingly favored. More white-collar workers, pregnant women, and young mothers are choosing organic food in their daily lives.
Group procurement and group consumption are also steadily gaining momentum.” Ruililai, which has already achieved remarkable results in the organic food market, is clearly very optimistic about the market prospects. Yang Zhifeng told reporters, “In the future, Ruililai will invest more energy and hopes to make great achievements in this sector.”
Agricultural product distribution giant — Wangjiahuan — has also included “organic food” as a new focus of the company. “Although the annual sales volume of organic products currently accounts for a small proportion of Wangjiahuan's total agricultural product sales, in the future, organic food will be one of our development priorities,” Wang Tianqi confidently stated. Wangjiahuan leverages its existing platform to launch organic food, making it relatively easy for consumers to accept.
Regarding the future of this industry, Lin Chunwei, Chairman of Chunguyuan Rice Industry, is relatively optimistic. “The growth rate of the organic food market has been around 15% in the past two years. At the same time, due to concerns about genetically modified products and the endless emergence of ordinary food safety incidents, these are all favorable factors for the development of organic food.” He believes that even if genuine organic food is priced at double or even several times that of ordinary food, there will still be a consumer base, as evidenced by the market success of the company's Beitian Organic Ecological Rice launched last year.
It can be foreseen that with the continuous improvement of income levels and quality of life, the consumer base for organic food will continue to expand, and the market prospects for organic food will become even broader.
Consumers Focus on
Whether Products Are “Genuine Value”
Through reporters' interviews, it was learned that the authenticity and price of organic products are the two major points of greatest concern to consumers. Some consumers said that a slightly higher price is not a problem; what they fear most is paying a high price without knowing whether the product is genuine. Other consumers said that organic food is good and they would consider buying it, but the price should not be too high.
(Reprinted from People's Daily Online)บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11241/
Organic Food Gaining Popularity: Consumers Focus on “Genuine Value”
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