China Focus: Mengniu’s new packaging, San Chun’s viral snack, Coca-Cola on beverage sector, opportunities in infant and performance nutrition, and more

Sustainable strides: Mengniu overcomes recyclability challenges of dairy packaging​​

China diary giant Mengniu says it has overcome some of the long-standing recyclability challenges in the category with a new all-polyethylene (PE) yoghurt packaging concept.

“Many dairy products are using multi-layered packaging made of paper, plastic, or aluminium foil, making it complex and difficult to recycle,” ​Daniel Lin, Sustainability Director of Mengniu told FoodNavigator-Asia​.

The new yoghurt pouch is created using Dow’s proprietary INNATE TF-BOPE resins, which enable the replacement of PET or BOPA in laminated film to achieve mono-material packaging.

Business boost: Optimising nutritional profiles offer scope for China infant and performance growth​​

Arla Foods Ingredients and Zhongbai Xingye, a Brenntag Group company, recently signed a new distribution deal that aims to strengthen their position in the Chinese nutrition market. 

The agreement covers the full range of Arla Foods Ingredients’ business units, with a focus on three key segments — infant nutrition, performance nutrition, and F&B.

“These segments still offer massive opportunities in China. It’s well known that Chinese parents are particularly keen to know what’s in the formula they choose for their children. One key market demand is organic ingredients, which Chinese consumers see as premium, safe, healthy, and natural,” ​said Shu Chen, Regional Marketing Manager for Asia at Arla Foods Ingredients.

Cream of the crust: Viral Chinese snacking sensation San Chun’s key tips on going national​​

Chinese firm San Chun has revealed a focus on the “strange and unique” is behind its transition from a local viral hit to a launch in major supermarkets nationwide.

San Chun claims to be the pioneer of the 烤奶皮 snack, which can be directly translated as ‘baked milk crust’ or ‘baked milk skin’.

Its claim to fame lies in its unique baking technology, which transforms the milk crust into a thin, crispy snack reminiscent of a potato chip.

Low-sodium salt diet lowers blood pressure in hypertensive, diabetic patients – China eight-week RCT​​

Hypertensive and diabetic patients could benefit from diets prepared using low-sodium salt, a China study showed.

Compared to baseline, there was a significant improvement in the general blood pressure for all groups who underwent an eight-week intervention involving various salt formulations used to prepare a Chinese-modified diet or a meal pack.

However, the group who used 23% low-sodium salt to prepare a Chinese-modified meal pack experienced a more significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to other groups.

More than the Real Thing: Chinese consumers want emotion and culture, not just drinks - Coca-Cola​​

Product innovation, technology and data alone are no longer sufficient to make strides in the China beverage sector, says Coca-Cola.

The firm has branched into five major beverage categories in China, spanning its trademark soft drinks to coffee, tea, sparkling water, juices, dairy, alcohol and more.

“Today’s consumers want more than just the physical experience concerning things like ingredients and functionality, but also the emotional connection when making their purchases – this means that they want more than offerings of zero sugar or immunity-boosting products, where in reality all companies and brands can offer the same thing,” ​Coca-Cola APAC R&D Centre Senior Director Amy Song told the floor at the Food and Beverage Innovation Forum (FBIF) in China.