Introduction: Taste and salt reduction coexist, health and nutrition are equally important. Author | He Wen Reviewer | Gou Gou Layout | He Wen
There is an old saying, "Food is the first necessity of the people, and safety is the first priority in food." Influenced by the three-year pandemic, consumers have significantly increased their health awareness. This global health awakening has not only changed people's lifestyles but also profoundly impacted the consumer market landscape. Over the past three years, we have witnessed consumers shift from purely pursuing material satisfaction to seeking a higher quality, healthier, and more sustainable lifestyle. This shift is evident in many industries, but it is particularly pronounced in industries related to "consumption," such as food and beverages. In the following article, we will delve into the necessity of salt reduction and how the condiment industry is innovating in this revolution to develop products that better meet consumers' health needs.
The Urgency of Salt Reduction In recent years, many consumers have begun to seek healthy alternatives to sugary drinks, with sugar-free tea and sugar-free sparkling water becoming their top choices. Under the "sugar reduction" trend, the condiment industry has also started a "salt reduction" revolution. These phenomena can be seen as a reflection of consumers' growing health awareness. Many people mistakenly believe that salt in food is only for flavor, but in fact, salt intake not only affects taste satisfaction but also directly impacts our health. The goal of this revolution is not to completely deprive people of salty taste but to call on people to understand and accept the fact that moderate salt reduction is crucial for our health. Excessive salt intake has been scientifically proven to be associated with hypertension, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults consume no more than 5 grams of salt per day, but the average salt intake in most regions of China far exceeds this standard. Therefore, promoting the "salt reduction" revolution and raising public health awareness is of great significance for the healthy development of the entire society. Moreover, the "National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030)" issued by the State Council also sets a target to reduce the national average daily salt intake by 20% by 2030. Driven by such policies, the demand for reduced-salt condiments in the market has begun to grow. According to the "Analysis Report on the Market Prospects and Investment Strategy Planning of China's Condiment Industry," the market size of reduced-salt condiments in China is expected to reach several billion yuan by 2025. These changes present both challenges and opportunities for the condiment industry. For companies that can adapt to this change and provide healthy, high-quality, and sustainable products, this is a huge opportunity. For those that still adhere to traditional production models and ignore consumers' health needs, this is undoubtedly a huge challenge.
Intense Competition in the Salt-Reduction Track Competition in the "salt reduction" track is becoming increasingly fierce, with leading brands placing their bets and launching their own reduced-salt products. Taking leading brands such as Lee Kum Kee, Haitian, and Wujiang Zha Cai as examples, their reduced-salt soy sauce, light-salt oyster sauce, and light-salt pickled vegetables not only meet consumers' demand for healthy food but also further expand their market share. How have they performed in the market? As early as 2009, Lee Kum Kee began technological innovation in reduced-salt soy sauce, creating the thin-salt series, and successively launched products such as Thin Salt Soy Sauce, Thin Salt Umami Fresh, Thin Salt Extra Fresh, and Thin Salt First Extract. In 2021, Lee Kum Kee launched the industry's first thin-salt oyster sauce through technological innovation, reducing the salt content of its signature oyster sauce by 30%. Taking the annual total sales of condiments on JD.com in 2022 as an example, Lee Kum Kee's total sales volume exceeded 13 million items, with total sales revenue of nearly 260 million yuan. The best-selling product was a "Thin Salt Multi-Fresh Soy Sauce," which sold over 550,000 items cumulatively on JD.com. This year, at the 2023 iSEE Global Awards ceremony, Lee Kum Kee's Thin Salt Oyster Sauce won the "iSEE Global Food Innovation Award 2023 Gold Award." Haitian's Laozihao Light Salt Soy Sauce is made from the first-extracted soy sauce, with a light and fresh taste, and has 30% less salt than Haitian's Weiji Soy Sauce, meeting the needs of people with "three highs" (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood lipids). Within just one year, sales exceeded one million bottles. Consumers generally believe that it reduces salt without reducing freshness, and they hardly notice any difference in taste. Moreover, after the painful lesson from the "technology and ruthlessness" incident in 2022, Haitian has focused its marketing efforts on product lines such as "Laozihao" and "0 additives" this year to regain consumer trust and enhance its brand image, which fully demonstrates the brand's confidence in reduced-salt condiments. In the pickled vegetable category, pickled mustard tuber, which is popular both as a side dish and in cooking with meat, has also undergone a healthy upgrade. At the "China Healthy Pickled Mustard Tuber New Benchmark · Wujiang Light Salt Pickled Mustard Tuber Launch Conference," the Wujiang Light Salt Pickled Mustard Tuber achieved an impressive feat of over 100 million packs ordered within 10 minutes at the conference. Distributors in various cities responded extremely quickly and placed orders one after another. In the first month after launch, Wujiang's sales increased by 661% month-on-month. From the salt-reduction actions of the above leading brands, we can see that the market demand for reduced-salt condiments is gradually growing, and this trend will continue. For other brands, this is an opportunity worth paying attention to. How to stand out in the track and become the first choice for consumers is also a topic that brand owners have to consider.
How to Stand Out? "When it comes to eating, we have never lost to anyone." The Chinese people's obsession with food has run through five thousand years of history. As early as the Han and Tang dynasties, the main food processing methods such as roasting, slicing, stewing, drying, and pickling were initially established, forming unique Chinese cooking methods. Therefore, at the product development level, salt reduction does not mean depriving people of the enjoyment of food, especially in the condiment field, where the coexistence of taste and salt reduction has become possible. More and more brands are exploring how to reduce salt in food while maintaining its deliciousness. By using different ingredients and formulas, condiments can also create unique flavors. For example, trying to combine different seasonings to create novel flavor combinations can bring consumers a brand-new taste experience. For instance, adding honey or fruit juice to traditional soy sauce can make it more delicious and unique. Innovative flavors are key to attracting consumers and can also bring new development opportunities to the condiment market.
Taste and salt reduction coexist, health and nutrition are equally important. Salt reduction in condiments is not only to cater to the healthy eating trend but also to meet people's pursuit of health and nutrition. Therefore, reduced-salt condiments should focus on the combination of health and nutrition. Future products can consider adding some natural nutritional ingredients and elements, such as kelp, mushroom powder, calcium, magnesium, etc., or develop condiments with functional components like prebiotics and dietary fiber to meet consumers' diverse needs. In addition, for certain special groups, such as patients with hypertension, low-sodium condiments can be specially developed to meet their special needs, which is both beneficial to health and provides nutrition. Furthermore, innovative packaging has also become an important means for reduced-salt condiments to stand out. On supermarket shelves crowded with products, exquisite packaging design can increase the attractiveness of products, and eye-catching publicity can greatly increase the rate of product selection. Clearly labeling and highlighting product features and advantages such as "low salt" or "reduced salt" and "natural" on the packaging can help health-conscious consumers quickly find the products they need among many products. At the same time, through promotion through various channels, such as social media and TV advertisements, more people can understand and experience the unique charm of reduced-salt condiments. Through carefully planned promotional activities, the concept of salt reduction in condiments can be conveyed to more consumers, enhancing product visibility and reputation.
In Conclusion: Although the reduced-salt condiment market is highly competitive, there is still much room for development. Only by meeting consumer needs while continuously innovating and improving product quality can one stand out in the fiercely competitive market.