‘Informed’ Chinese millennials shun Asian fruit in their juices

22-May-2017 - Last updated on 23-May-2017 at 02:24 GMT

Only a quarter of Chinese millennials say they prefer fruit juice made with fruit grown in Asia, compared to 60% who favour American fruit, according to a survey commissioned by Welch’s Global Ingredients.

The findings highlight opportunities for manufacturers to create differentiated fruit juice products that will resonate with Chinese millennials.

The canvassing, by Surveygoo, showed the demographic to be knowledgeable about provenance and nutrition, and have clear ideas about what they find appealing in a product.

They appreciate the taste and goodness of 100% fruit juice and are familiar with polyphenols, the beneficial plant nutrients found in super-fruits.

The results found that the provenance of a juice is of greatest importance to these consumers, with 84% of respondents stating that they believe it is important to know the origin of the fruit used to make their juice.

They also indicated that health is a leading priority for Chinese juice-drinking millennials, with 78% saying that they looked for the nutrition and health aspects of their products, ahead of those who cited good taste. The respondents ranked milk and pure fruit juice as the two healthiest choices in a list of popular beverages.

This positive attitude towards 100% juice reflects a wider trend in the Chinese fruit juice and drinks market—according to Euromonitor, sales of 100% juice in China have witnessed compound annual growth of 14.6% over the past five years, second only to coconut water.

Heart, digestive and mind health were ranked as the three health benefits Chinese millennial drinkers are most interested in getting from their fruit juice. In addition, 61% of respondents said they are more likely to buy a fruit juice if it delivers polyphenols, and 77% said they drink super-fruit juices because of the health benefits they provide.

Wayne Lutomski, a vice-president at Welch’s, said the survey confirmed what anecdotal trends on the ground in China.

“Millennial fruit juice drinkers are looking for products that are made in the USA. They equate American goods with high quality, and brands that highlight this on-pack and in other marketing activities could gain an edge in China’s competitive juice market,” he said.