“We are seeing a very quick and rapid change for consumers in China to be aware of their health and how food is impacting their health – this is a trend that is also ongoing across Asia Pacific, but the change is faster here,” Diana Food General Manager of Asia Pacific Laurent Deniau told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“The Chinese government [is also on the ball] with this, enforcing new rules in order to make food safer and healthier for consumers. [Again], this can be seen all over APAC, but this is happening faster and [the policies are] stricter in China.”
The company’s products mainly target consumers from the upper socioeconomic class with higher incomes.
“These are the consumers who can afford premium healthy foods, [for example] beetroot powder or concentrate, which can naturally aid in nitric oxide production and keep blood pressure low during [exercise], hence is suitable for use in sports gels or liquid shots,” added Deniau.
Diana Food Country Manager of China Kelvin Yang added that the company’s purple carrot products for natural food and beverage colouring were also one of the best-sellers in the country, saying that: “We have studied the purple carrot all the way down to the seeds, so we know which variety can provide the best colour.”
Organic was also identified as a growing trend in the country, to which Diana Foods is looking at the launch of a range of China-specific organic products to meet this demand.
The company is also looking to expand further into the Asia Pacific region, especially to Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, as it sees great potential in the natural ingredients markets in these countries.
“We have plans to develop more of a local presence, including customised solutions and technical support in these different countries,” Deniau said.
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