With the booming economy and consumers' increasing emphasis on healthy diet, my country's convenience food industry has ushered in new development opportunities. Data shows that China's convenience food market has reached 673.6 billion yuan in 2023 , and is expected to exceed one trillion yuan in 2026 . Consumer demands are constantly improving and their needs are becoming more diverse, resulting in an increasing number of convenience food categories. iiMedia Research recently released the " 2024-2025 China Convenience Food Market Development and Consumption Insight Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report" ) . It is proposed that in the future, with the further segmentation of market demand, the convenience food industry will continue to expand. More More companies and capital will enter this track to provide consumers with higher quality and healthier product choices.

Market segments develop rapidly

　　As the convenience food market expands, its market segments have also entered a stage of rapid development. The "Report" points out that China's output of quick-frozen food raw materials is increasing year by year. In 2023 , grain output will be 695.41 million tons, and meat output will be 77.162 million tons. Rice and noodles are the main raw materials of common quick-frozen foods, and the increase in production ensures the supply of quick-frozen food raw materials. In quick-frozen food processing, the output of frozen meat far exceeds that of quick-frozen rice and noodles. Compared with raw materials such as meat and aquatic products, the food storage time is long enough and the demand for quick freezing is small. The number of enterprises in my country's prepared vegetable industry continues to increase, and market competition becomes increasingly fierce. Leading enterprises have obvious advantages in product research and development, production technology, market sales, and brand building. They continue to expand production scale and promote product sales, and improve their position in prepared dishes. market position. In addition, since 2019 , the number of valid patents in China's instant noodle and food industry has grown rapidly. As of the end of August this year , the cumulative total exceeded 2,100 .

　　iiMedia Consulting analysts believe that as consumer demands continue to escalate and market competition intensifies, convenience food companies have increased investment in R&D, actively carried out technological research and new product development, and improved production processes to enhance their competitiveness. The active innovation atmosphere will promote the continuous upgrading of China's convenience food industry and bring more high-quality and diversified products to consumers. For example, Henan Zhanggui Food Co., Ltd. insists on category creation, product focus and taste breakthroughs, and continues to create product competitiveness and product differentiation advantages. At present, it has successfully developed five series of noodles, vegetable eggs, and Gaoren Ramen.

　　The "Report" pointed out that in 2023 , the sales revenue of many key companies in the instant noodle food industry will change slightly. Due to rising raw material prices, palm oil prices have been rising since the first half of 2019 , and the profits of many companies have increased slightly. iiMedia Consulting analysts believe that developing high-end products has become an important trend for major brands to introduce new products. For example, Master Kong has transformed into a high-end product market and has launched series such as Soup Master, Fresh Vegetable Noodles, and Express Noodle House. In 2023 , Master Kong's instant noodle product sales revenue will be 28.793 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 2.84% , and the gross profit margin will increase by 3.05 percentage points from 2022 to 27% .

　　The "Report" shows that in recent years, the convenience food industry has made significant progress in technological innovation. For example, the steamed noodles and extrusion technology have been optimized to significantly improve the product quality of non-fried noodles and fresh noodles; for pre-made dishes, the development of appropriate control technology for product quality deterioration has been launched, striving to restore the flavor of the products to be as delicious as freshly made; freezing and refrigeration Innovations in food rewarming technology make home cooking more convenient and efficient. " Technological innovation will help the convenience food industry improve the quality and provide consumers with better products. " The "Report" points out that with the improvement of living standards, people pay more attention to health and pay more and more attention to food safety. Come higher and higher. To this end, the country has introduced a number of policies to encourage and support the development of the convenience food industry, while constantly improving the food safety supervision system. The increasingly stringent food safety supervision system has played a role in raising the industry threshold, improving the overall level of the convenience food industry, and is conducive to the sustained, stable and healthy development of the industry.

Safe nutrition becomes the core demand of consumers

　　Data show that in terms of purchase types, this year, the most commonly purchased convenience foods by consumers are instant noodles, instant rice, etc., accounting for 63.1% . Prepared dishes with a relatively rich selection of dishes have also gradually occupied a certain market, accounting for 36%. % ; In terms of purchasing reasons, convenience, good taste, and liking to eat are the main reasons why consumers buy convenience foods. The "Report" shows that at present, convenience foods on the market are obviously homogeneous. Innovations in product raw materials, tastes and processing methods can better meet the needs of young consumer groups pursuing diversification, health and nutrition. In addition, ingredient safety is also the product development direction expected by most consumers.

　　With the increase in per capita income, the optional consumption attribute of snack food has gradually weakened, and it has increasingly become a necessary product in people's lives. The "Report" points out that 98.4% of consumers have purchased snack foods within a year, among which consumers purchase seeds and nuts roasted seeds and nuts and bread, cakes, and pastries the most, accounting for 54.9% and 53.7% respectively , followed by crispy snacks. Snack foods, candies, chocolates, and preserves accounted for 52.3% and 50.1% respectively . In addition, from the perspective of purchasing motivation, 89.9% of consumers have purchased Internet celebrity snack foods. Among them, good taste is the most important reason why consumers choose to buy Internet celebrity snack foods. Good quality, following the trend, and following the crowd are also the reasons why consumers purchase Internet celebrity snack foods. Important influencing factors of red snack food.

　　“ Internet celebrity products are good at creating interesting, shareable and topical marketing activities to attract consumers to try new things. The sales of snack foods depend on consumers’ recognition of the quality and taste of the product, and brands must increase consumer stickiness. , still need to work hard on product quality, " said iiMedia Consulting analyst.

　　The prepared food market is also showing strong growth. The "Report" shows that 52% of consumers purchase pre-prepared dishes 2 to 3 times a week or more , and 17.8% of consumers purchase pre-prepared dishes once a week . In terms of purchase categories of prepared dishes, consumers prefer to purchase aquatic product prepared dishes, accounting for 67.2% , followed by snacks, pastries, and livestock and poultry prepared dishes. Among the cuisine categories of prepared dishes, Sichuan and Hunan cuisine is the most popular among consumers, accounting for 28.5% , followed by Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine and Fujian and Cantonese cuisine. " Most consumers are highly receptive to pre-prepared dishes and prefer Sichuan and Hunan cuisine. The preparation of pre-prepared dishes can incorporate traditional classic cuisines. In addition, consumers' habit of purchasing pre-prepared dishes every week will drive further expansion of the market. " iiMedia consulting analysts said.

　　The "Report" points out that in terms of the taste and category of instant noodles, consumers prefer braised beef flavor, accounting for 34.0% ; in addition to ordinary instant noodles, consumers are more interested in new sub-categories such as rice noodles and fried noodles. . " Consumption upgrading and the lazy economy have promoted the innovation of the instant noodle industry. People are no longer satisfied with traditional instant noodles. The gradual rise of mid-to-high-end convenience foods has promoted the rapid incubation of new categories and new flavors. Improvements in taste, ingredients and safety guarantees , will greatly increase consumers' willingness to purchase instant noodles. iiMedia Consulting analysts believe that in the past, instant noodles were mostly fried foods, which contained very high calories. Consumers have strong demand for green, nutritious and healthy instant noodles. Enterprises’ positioning of instant noodles products We must also keep up with the trend and focus on developing healthy foods and even functional foods.

　　The "Report" shows that for quick-frozen foods, consumers pay more attention to shelf life and freshness when purchasing quick-frozen foods, accounting for 64.3% and 56.8% respectively ; convenience and speed are the main reasons for consumers to buy quick-frozen snacks. Quick-frozen food has been processed and processed during the production process and does not require complicated cooking steps. This convenient and fast feature makes quick-frozen food the first choice for consumers. Additive issues, hygiene issues and low cost performance are the issues that consumers are most concerned about. On this basis, consumers most hope that quick-frozen food companies can improve category diversity and product cost performance. The "Report" suggests that in order to meet consumer demand, quick-frozen food companies need to strengthen hygiene and quality control during the production process and continuously improve the quality and taste of their products. In addition, quick-frozen food companies also need to strengthen quality control of raw materials to ensure product safety and hygiene.