Organic food heats up as consumers focus on getting the real deal“

    In recent years, with the improvement of living standards, people's focus on food safety and health has also been continuously growing. Guided by the philosophy of being natural, unpolluted, and additive-free, organic foods are increasingly welcomed by consumers. It is projected that China's annual consumption of organic food will approach 1.2 billion yuan this year.

In Shenzhen, several retailers are already driving the organic food sector, including Walmart, Rayli, Wangjia欢, and Chunguyuan. Thanks to the groundwork laid by these businesses, a growing number of consumers are starting to pay attention to this sector, and “organic consumption” is steadily gaining momentum.

　　Organic food is growing in popularity

Over recent days, reporters visited supermarkets such as Walmart, Rainbow, and JUSCO, and found that all of these supermarkets have established organic food counters, with organic products covering vegetables, rice, meat, mountain delicacies, and coarse grains.

Organic food on supermarket shelves, although much more expensive than ordinary food, remains popular with consumers.

At Rainbow Supermarket, reporters saw customers coming in a steady stream to buy organic vegetables. In just half an hour, six customers had put organic vegetables into their shopping baskets. Supermarkets such as JUSCO have set up dedicated organic food counters, and there are many customers choosing grain products such as organic red beans and soybeans. At Walmart, the most popular items are organic grains and pulses such as soybeans, red beans, millet, and brown rice.

According to Huang Zhiping, Senior Director of Walmart (China) Investment Co., Ltd., sales of organic foods have increased significantly in recent years. Among them, sales of organic vegetables, grains and cereals, meat, and rice have grown the fastest. Although prices are higher than those of regular foods, they remain popular among health- and food safety-conscious consumers.

　　Giants make a collective push into organic food

Where there is demand, there is a market. In order to have a greater say in the organic food market, industry giants have all been stepping up their efforts in this sector.

As a leader in the organic food industry, Reilly, while maintaining its lead over competitors in organic grains, has also partnered with Walmart to establish an organic edible fungus production base in Haicheng, Liaoning.

“Large supermarkets such as Walmart have a very rigorous and standardized process when selecting organic food partner businesses, requiring every aspect of a partner business to fully comply with organic standards and certification before cooperation and sales can take place,” stated Yang Zhifeng, General Manager of Raily.

Agricultural produce distribution giant Shenzhen Wangjiahuang Industrial Co., Ltd. has also quietly extended its tentacles into this sector. Wang Tianqi, General Manager of Wangjiahuang's Organic Food Division, said: “We began getting involved in organic food back in 2007, and currently offer over 50 organic food products such as organic grains, organic mountain delicacies, organic oil and organic rice, as well as having organic food production bases in multiple provinces including Liaoning, Zhejiang and Jiangxi.”

However, unlike Rayli's supermarket channels, Wangjiahuan's organic food primarily targets group consumption and group procurement channels. Reporters have learned that government agencies, schools, financial institutions, hotels, and enterprises are Wangjiahuan's main customers.

Also bullish on this market is Shenzhen Chunguyuan Rice Industry Co., Ltd. Last year, the Beitian organic ecological rice launched by the company became an instant hit on the market.

　　The market prospects are promising

In recent years, a succession of public food contamination incidents has changed the mindset of many consumers. As the food with the highest safety level, organic food is becoming increasingly popular, with more white-collar workers, pregnant women and young mothers choosing it as part of their lifestyle.

”Group procurement and group consumption are also gradually heating up.“ Having already achieved impressive success in the organic food market, Raily is clearly very optimistic about the market prospects for organic food. Yang Zhifeng told reporters, ”In the future, Raily will invest more energy with the hope of making a significant impact in this field."

Agricultural produce distribution giant Wangjiahuan is also incorporating “organic food” into the company's new focus. “Although the annual sales volume of organic products currently accounts for a relatively small proportion of Wangjiahuan's total agricultural produce sales, organic food will be a development priority for us in the future,” Wang Tianqi stated with confidence, adding that Wangjiahuan's use of its existing platform to launch organic food makes it easier for consumers to accept.

Regarding the future of this industry, Lin Chunwei, chairman of Chunguayuan Rice Industry, is rather optimistic. “In the past two years, the growth rate of the organic food market has been around 15%. At the same time, concerns over genetically modified products and the endless stream of ordinary food safety incidents are all favourable news for the development of organic food.” He believes that even though genuine organic food is priced twice or even several times higher than 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 is predictable 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 be even broader.

　　Consumer interest

Is it genuine and authentic“

During interviews with journalists, it was learned that the authenticity and price of organic products are the two main points of concern for consumers. Some consumers stated that paying a slightly higher price is not an issue at all, with the biggest fear being that it is expensive yet they still do not know whether it is genuine. Other consumers stated that organic food is very good and they would consider buying it, but the price cannot be too high.
(Transferred from People's Daily Online)文章源自FOFCC-http://www.fofcc.org.cn/en/11241/