--- title: "Soda Water Chaos: Beibingyang's Soda Water Questioned for Concept Stretching" description: "China's soda water market has reached 5.22 billion yuan, and is expected to exceed 20 billion yuan in the next decade. Riding the wave of health consciousness, the market is booming, but Beibingyang's soda water product has been questioned. Investigation reveals that Beibingyang's canned soda water lacks the key ingredient sodium bicarbonate, not meeting the upcoming group standard for soda water beverages. The company claims it is actually soda sparkling water, but experts say it's a concept stretch." author: "钱瑜 王子扬" publisher: "New Distribution" email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com" telephone: "+8615854817671" published: "2017-09-29" language: "en" canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/soda-water-chaos-beibingyang-s-soda-water-questioned-for-concept-stretch-d573c8ab/" markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/soda-water-chaos-beibingyang-s-soda-water-questioned-for-concept-stretch-d573c8ab.md" original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/tDxjzCpQQ0hOKbjAvP5TCg" translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E8%8B%8F%E6%89%93%E6%B0%B4%E4%B9%B1%E8%B1%A1-%E5%8C%97%E5%86%B0%E6%B4%8B%E8%8B%8F%E6%89%93%E6%B0%B4%E6%89%93%E6%A6%82%E5%BF%B5%E6%93%A6%E8%BE%B9%E7%90%83%E9%81%AD%E8%B4%A8%E7%96%91-d573c8ab.md" attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/soda-water-chaos-beibingyang-s-soda-water-questioned-for-concept-stretch-d573c8ab/" usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt" --- # Soda Water Chaos: Beibingyang's Soda Water Questioned for Concept Stretching > China's soda water market has reached 5.22 billion yuan, and is expected to exceed 20 billion yuan in the next decade. Riding the wave of health consciousness, the market is booming, but Beibingyang's soda water product has been questioned. Investigation reveals that Beibingyang's canned soda water lacks the key ingredient sodium bicarbonate, not meeting the upcoming group standard for soda water beverages. The company claims it is actually soda sparkling water, but experts say it's a concept stretch. China's soda water market has reached 5.22 billion yuan, and is expected to exceed 20 billion yuan in the next decade. Riding the wave of health consciousness, the soda water market is booming, but Beibingyang's soda water beverage has been questioned. Investigation found that Beibingyang's canned soda water product has a different formula compared to other brands, lacking the key ingredient sodium bicarbonate, and does not meet the upcoming group standard for soda water beverages. A representative from Yiqing Food Group, which owns Beibingyang, said that Beibingyang's soda water is actually soda sparkling water. Industry insiders believe that since there are no mandatory regulations yet, Beibingyang's product is not in violation. However, regarding the concept of soda sparkling water proposed by Beibingyang, analysts point out that it is a concept stretch. Soda Water Questioned The soda water beverage market is hot, and Beibingyang, which recently returned to the market, wants a piece of the pie. Investigation found that the canned soda water market in Beijing is currently divided among brands like Watsons and Coca-Cola's Schweppes, and Beibingyang also has its own product. This blue, gold, and silver can, placed alongside Watsons and other brands, attracts many consumers. But Beibingyang's soda water differs from other brands. In terms of price, the main canned soda water products on the market are Coca-Cola's Schweppes, Watsons, and Beibingyang. The first two are priced around 4 yuan, while Beibingyang's is about 5 yuan per can. The ingredients also differ. Comparison shows that other products list water and food additives (carbon dioxide, sodium bicarbonate), while Beibingyang's soda water only lists water and carbon dioxide. According to the group standard for soda water beverages issued by the China Food and Beverage Industry Association, Beibingyang's product clearly does not qualify as a soda water beverage. The standard stipulates: **Soda water beverage is a flavored water beverage made from water as the raw material, adding sodium bicarbonate to adjust flavor, optionally carbonated, without color adjustment, and without added sugar (including sucrose and starch sugar), processed appropriately.** Beibingyang's soda water does not contain sodium bicarbonate, so under this classification, it is not a soda water beverage. When asked why it is called soda water without sodium bicarbonate, the representative from Yiqing Food Group said that this product is soda sparkling water, which is not within the scope of the soda water beverage standard. The "soda" in soda sparkling water refers to the English word "soda" meaning carbonated, while the "soda" in soda beverage refers to the Chinese meaning of sodium bicarbonate. It was found that although Beibingyang calls this product soda sparkling water, the packaging uses the words "Beibingyang Soda Water" without clearly indicating it is soda sparkling water. Return After Disappearance For many Beijingers born in the 1970s and 1980s, Beibingyang is undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable childhood memories. However, these fond memories came to an abrupt end in the 1990s. In 1994, amid a wave of investment attraction, Beibingyang Food Company partnered with PepsiCo to establish four joint ventures, with the soda water products assigned to one of them. But soon after, this joint venture declared bankruptcy, and Beibingyang soda water officially ceased production. In 2007, the company managing Beibingyang Food Company negotiated with PepsiCo and regained the brand rights under the condition of "not producing carbonated beverages under the Beibingyang brand for four years." In 2010, Yiqing Group approved the establishment of a company for Beibingyang with a registered capital of 30 million yuan, planning to bring the nearly half-century-old Beibingyang soda water back to the market after the four-year commitment expired. This year marks the 80th anniversary of Beibingyang and the 110th anniversary of Yili, both under Beijing Yiqing Food Group. It is reported that Beibingyang's annual sales exceeded 100 million yuan in 2013, and this year, sales growth is expected to exceed 30%. Various Pressures After its return, Beibingyang faces significant pressure. During its absence, Coca-Cola's Fanta and PepsiCo's Mirinda have been continuously dividing the market. Since returning, Beibingyang has been reviving its products. The popular Dailin ice cream this summer is a typical example. When it was re-launched, shortages occurred. But as summer ended, the craze has subsided. A supermarket owner said that Dailin no longer requires pre-ordering and is always in stock, with sales stabilizing. Zhu Danpeng, a researcher at the China Brand Research Institute's food and beverage division, pointed out that the return of Dailin has more marketing significance than business development significance. But the cold drink industry is hard to differentiate, posing challenges for any brand. Industry insiders say that with market segmentation, category diversification, and changing consumer habits, flavored water beverages, especially soda water, are developing rapidly. Regarding the chaos in the soda water market, marketing expert Lu Shengzhen said that there are products on the market that confuse soda water with carbonated water. Carbonated water is made by pressurizing carbon dioxide into purified drinking water, which is different from adding sodium bicarbonate. Source: Beijing Business Today **The 3rd (CFIC) China FMCG + Internet Conference** will be held in Chongqing in November 2017. 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