In June 2022, Tawang Consulting will open the column of Tawang Food Research Institute (referred to as Tawang Food Research Institute). With the concept of "empowering the high-quality development of food industry brands", Tawang Food Research Institute will release it from time to time Food and health industry research and consumption research reports. Tawang Food Research Institute is committed to the collection and analysis of global data such as external data, consumer survey data, and internal enterprise data, and helps Chinese food companies improve business cognition and decision-making efficiency through digital and industrial data research.
The following content is the industry and consumption research conducted by Tawang Food Research Institute based on the field of "prefabricated vegetables" from October to December 2022. For the complete report, you can click on the Tawang brand official account to enter the download page, and the official website will be updated simultaneously.
01、
Quietly Prepared Dishes
A new role for the family table
Prefabricated dishes, a strange yet familiar concept, have been one of the most popular industries in the past two years. The reason why it is said to be unfamiliar is because the word prefabricated dish itself is a bit obscure at first sight and hearing; the reason why it is said to be familiar is that in daily life, prefabricated dishes are everywhere. , in supermarkets, restaurants, banquets, takeaway platforms, and even your refrigerator, kitchen and dining table, it has more or less been occupied by it.
What exactly is a prepared dish? Let’s use a metaphor to illustrate that it may be easier to understand and remember when we think of another name for the floor slab used to build a building—prefabricated slab: both are directly processed in the factory and delivered to the hands of the user, but one One is food, the other is stone. But after such a metaphor, it seems that the only remaining novelty has become dull.
According to the definition in the industry: prefabricated dishes specifically refer to the use of agricultural, livestock, poultry, and aquatic products as raw materials, with various auxiliary materials, in a modern central factory, for standardized and centralized production, after cutting, stirring, pickling, molding, Seasoning and other links are pre-processed, and then preserved by rapid freezing technology or other fresh-keeping technologies, allowing downstream B-end catering customers to wash, cut, and seasoning-free finished or semi-finished dishes.
From the perspective of China's long-standing food culture, prepared dishes are completely different or even run counter to traditional delicious dishes. Traditional food pays attention to seasons and seasons, and pays great attention to the freshness of ingredients and the ability of chefs to control the time and heat. Standardization and prefabrication require maximum stability and unity in taste.
However, with the rapid development of the times and the changes in eating habits, the time to enjoy the delicious meals has been cut into fragments. For busy Tianxuan workers, it is already a thing to have a good meal on a working day. luxury. Prefabricated dishes have moved from B-end catering to C-end consumption, and unknowingly, they have become a dish on the family table.
02、
Highly Admired Prepared Dish
The sword points to the trillion-dollar market
According to statistics, the penetration rate of prepared dishes in the United States and Japan exceeds 60%. After the introduction of fast food in China in the 1990s, net side dish processing plants also appeared. Today, the penetration rate of domestic prepared dishes is less than 15%, which has greatly expanded capacity. space.
At this stage, prefabricated dishes are highly valued by local governments, and favored by domestic capital and practitioners. According to Deloitte statistics, my country's prefabricated dishes have reached a market size of 550 billion in 2021, and the market shares of ready-to-serve, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-serve are 2%, 47%, and 51% respectively. The CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is expected to reach 13% in the next five years, and it is expected to enter the trillion club in 2026.
Under the gravity of such a large and dynamic market, there will naturally be no shortage of escorts, investors and many participants.
1. Policy escort, local government support is unprecedented.
Because prefabricated dishes are both "convenient, fast, and standardized" and can drive local taxation and employment, local governments have issued strong policy support for prefabricated dishes, such as:
The Consumer Protection Committee of Jiangsu Province took the lead in organizing the Consumer Protection Committee of the three provinces and one city in the Yangtze River Delta, the Catering Industry Association, and some leading prefabricated vegetable enterprises to jointly draft the "Yangtze River Delta Prefabricated Dishes Quality and Service Evaluation Specification";
The General Office of the Shandong Provincial Government issued the "Opinions on Promoting the High-quality Development of the Prefabricated Vegetable Industry in the Province", and the Qingdao Municipal Government proposed the "Three-Year Action Plan for the High-quality Development of the Prefabricated Vegetable Industry in Qingdao (2022-2024)";
Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce and other 9 departments recently issued "Measures to Accelerate the High-quality Development of the Prepared Vegetable Industry";
The General Office of the People's Government of Henan Province has issued many policies such as the "Henan Province Action Plan for Accelerating the Development of the Prefabricated Vegetable Industry", and comprehensive support policies drive the high-quality development of the prefabricated vegetable industry.
Information source: iiMedia Data Center, compiled by Tawang Food Research Institute.
2. The siege of capital has boosted the popularity of prefabricated tracks.
At the level of investment and financing, the enthusiasm of capital for the prefabricated vegetable track continues to be bullish. The track of instant food, instant heat, instant cooking and ready-to-serve food has formed a situation of double ice and fire with other industries affected by the epidemic in the cold winter of consumption. According to industry public information,
From 2013 to 2021, more than 70 investment and financing events occurred in prefabricated dishes, with a total financing amount of more than 1 billion yuan;
In the first half of 2021-2022 alone, there will be more than 40 financing projects in the field of prefabricated vegetables, with a single project reaching a maximum of one billion yuan.
With the accumulation of capital, the concept stocks of prefabricated vegetables are also ushering in a stage of overall rise. In addition to professional capital parties such as IDG, Tomato Capital, Tsingshan Capital, Lenovo Star, etc., the industry track also has "amateur capital parties" such as Moutai Jianxin, Wumart, 37 Interactive Entertainment, and Liepin.
Information source: iiMedia Data Center, compiled by Tawang Food Research Institute.
3. Players swarmed, and various sects gathered and filed in.
Driven by capital and policies, players of prefabricated dishes began to flock in. According to the background and characteristics of each player, the industry temporarily divides them into five categories: supply, application, professional, innovation, and traditional. Each type of player has its own advantages in the field of prefabricated dishes, such as:
Brands such as Haidilao, Dalongyi, and Xibei in the catering industry have taken advantage of their own brand recognition and supply chain advantages to cut in;
Brands such as Hema, Dingdong Maicai, and Yonghui in the channel industry rely on their own channels and traffic, cooperate with catering companies or OEM companies, and cut into the prefabricated vegetable track by means of OEM;
Upstream raw material brands , such as Longda Meat, New Hope, Guolian Aquatic and other supply groups, relying on their own supply chain and raw material advantages, are also frantically cutting into the field of prepared dishes.
Information source: iiMedia Data Center, compiled by Tawang Food Research Institute.
In addition, there are many enterprises along the upstream and downstream of the prefabricated vegetable industry, such as: Gree, Haier, Midea, Galanz, Robam Electric, etc., in the case of weak traditional home appliance market, entered the prefabricated vegetable market, and developed cold chain, Equipped with the corresponding equipment for steaming and roasting. Among them, the improvement of cold chain logistics also plays a vital role in the transportation and distribution of prefabricated vegetables.
According to the data, there are 66,700 prepared dishes in the country, and the CR10 is less than 15%. The concentration of the entire industry is extremely scattered and is expected to be further improved. According to the diagram below:
At present, Xiamen Lvjin has the highest market share of prefabricated vegetables, with a market share of 2.4%;
The second is Anjing Foods, which has transformed from quick-frozen to prepared dishes, with a market share of 1.9%;
As the first stock in the prepared vegetable industry, Weizhixiang has a market share of 1.8%, ranking third in the industry, and will be the first to be listed on the A-share main board in 2021.
Even so, there is no dominant brand of prefabricated dishes, and there is no well-known brand recognized by consumers. This is also a breakthrough opportunity for future brands.
03、
Prepared dishes on the cusp
Three major issues that need urgent attention
There are various signs that the prefabricated vegetable market is doing well, but under this huge market, it is inevitable to face hidden reefs.
1．舆论导向，安全健康是绕不开的话题。
不少人唱衰预制菜，主要是在安全健康层面，随着“海克斯科技”的走红，舆论这把火烧到整个食品行业，同样也燎到了预制菜行业：
先有预制菜钠含量超标，“吃一顿咸一天”的说法，让很多人感同身受；
再有预制菜添加剂过多，简直是“满满的科技与狠活”，一些不明就里的网红达人，纠着添加剂和防腐剂（实则无需添加防腐剂，因其-18 ℃冷冻保存，可以抑制微生物发酵和细菌的形成）不放，人们的焦虑油然心生；
后有预制菜如“猪狗食一般”之言论，击退了部分潜在消费者的尝鲜需求；
短期来看，都为预制菜行业蒙上一层阴影。
2．代厨侵袭，上门做饭的方式卷土重来。
代厨——上门做饭，近来在一线城市又悄然兴起，并已经向新一线和二线城市进行渗透；之所以说又悄然兴起，是因其曾在2014、15年之际产生萌芽，后因其商业模式的原因，被外卖平台的兴起及安全隐患问题联合绞杀。代厨和预制菜所提供相似的价值且有过之而无不及：
1）论方便
代厨可做到不用买菜、做饭和洗碗打扫卫生等，全程由上门做饭厨师代劳，远超预制菜。
2）论价格
当然代厨会更高，但68元的4道菜的价格，对于年轻人来说，也有很强的吸引力。
3）论口味
代厨依然可以保证美味，特别是对不会做饭或者做饭不好吃的人来说。
4）论新鲜
代厨食材现买现做，会在一定程度上分流预制菜的消费者。
3．疫情对冲，增添预制菜行业不确定性。
疫情增加了人们居家做饭的需求，减少外出就餐的机会，催生了大量消费者对预制菜的尝鲜、消费和复购需求，据餐宝典数据显示，2020年餐饮行业出现-15.4%的增长率，而预制菜行业却迎来了19.4%的逆势增长，一正一负，仿若千里。但疫情总会过去，届时被培养的消费需求能否持续坚挺，各大品牌在争夺存量消费者同时，如何开发新增量，是预制菜面临的重大课题，对冲之下增加了行业未来的不确定性。
我们认为，市场看先机，存在即合理；预制菜作为现代生活中日常饮食的一种解决方案，有其在这个时代存在发展的重要意义，中国人口基数之众多，城市结构之复杂，市场空间之巨大，消费需求之强烈，各方面都在利好预制菜的高速发展。况且，截止到目前，在C端市场，消费者对于品牌的认知程度并不强，没有大的品牌脱颖而出，对于大多数品牌来说，有着机会均等巨大的市场机会。
04、
火出天际的预制菜
拯救了谁的开饭焦虑？
在对市场进行调研时，我们了解到人们购买预制菜原因有很多，如：
产品层面
简单、方便省时间、美味等
需求层面
不喜欢做饭、不会做饭、做饭耗时间等
首先，B端餐饮市场，降本增效是核心要素。
预制菜80%的市场在B端，已经成功地帮助B端餐饮、团膳、外卖等企业实现降本增效：
1）标准化的口味
解决厨师不稳定，口味经常换，导致没有回头客的现象；
2）最大程度的节省人力成本
后厨人员冗多，需要配备采购、洗、切、配、炒等一众团队人员；
3）降低厨师流失的风险
厨师工资高，更有甚者挣得钱全都养厨师团队的问题；
4）增强餐饮企业的经济效益
提高出餐效率从而提高门店翻台率，在整体上增强餐饮企业的经济效益，这也是大型连锁餐饮企业布局中央厨房的原因。
其次，C端消费市场，日常需求更加多元。
C端消费者相较于B端，虽然只占20%的市场，但需求更加分散，仍处于早期的培育阶段，消费者的认知尚未完全建立，消费习惯还未完全养成。
1）对于个人来说，外卖的“贵、难吃和不卫生”等问题，长期外卖等于丢失了生活三餐的烟火气；而预制菜是吃腻了外卖的年轻人在不会做饭，没时间做饭的情况下的另一种选择；
2）对家庭消费者而言，平时只能去饭店酒楼吃的特色美味，在家做既方便、经济又放心，一举多得，而在家宴、请客吃饭、年夜饭等重要时刻，非家常菜会让餐桌更显得无比丰盛。
3）面向儿童、女性、老人等不同年龄或健身、减肥等不同需求的人群来说，需要提供相应的预制菜产品。
最后，预制菜供应市场，品牌方的本质思考。
就B端而言，餐饮团膳食市场选择预制菜首要考虑的是性价比因素，所以菜品供应的价格和品质要符合客户的要求，想做高品质和高价格的产品，唯有与企业联合开发，共同定制生产供应。
而C端消费者的需求是多元的，企业的资源却是有限的，对于问题的研究，塔望食研院一直秉持着从市场需求出发，回归原点思考，探索问题本质。通过对预制菜消费者的调研和分析，我们得出消费者购买预制菜的需求因素。
从中判定预制菜行业
未来的趋势和方向
1. 核心供应链
核心供应链是预制菜的王牌，也是底牌
预制菜企业，核心供应链要牢牢掌握在自己手中。未来，预制菜企业能否做大做强的关键，在于是否能够拥有强大的供应链，进行规模化生产；因为取得规模化生产的企业，具有成本管控的优势和把控产品品质的优势，从而产生持续良好的经济效应。核心供应链是预制菜企业成功的基石，其他因素均为派生的影响因素。
我们认为，预制菜本身是一个进入门槛低、行业上限高的赛道，自身拥有上下游供应链，长期利好品牌在B、C两端的发展；反之，在行业没有积淀，缺乏供应链基础的新进入者，并不适合在这个赛道；现在靠低价来竞争的品牌，长期以往必定换来品质的降低，将逐步被市场淘汰。
2. 方便是前提
方便属性再强化，极致方便成突破大势
社会的问题就是企业的机会，消费者的痛点就是品牌机会点。在预制菜众多的消费痛点中，“方便快捷”依然是排名前三的关键性因素。我们认为“极致方便”将成为预制菜行业发展的核心趋势方向之一，企业应牢牢把握消费机会需求：方便的买菜、方便的做菜以及方便的吃菜，从而将预制菜“真方便” 的价值属性夯实。
要解决消费者的第一个痛点就是方便！那么方便该怎么去定义和解决？塔望食研院认为，方便买菜，这涉及到品牌方的渠道布局，可根据用户的消费行为习惯进行针对性的渠道布局；方便做菜，通过对预制菜品牌的研究，我们看到大部分的品牌只是在销售菜品，并未向消费者提供相应的配套服务，因此会造成消费者烧菜的不便利性。因此预制菜品牌方需要在产品不够完美的情况下，可通过产品+服务、软件+硬件的手段来解决用户烧菜的便利性。
3. 美味是核心
美味是预制菜持续消费的核心要素
说一千，道一万，在食品行业中，好吃是亘古不变的是硬性指标。而美味是消费者对于预制菜需求中，我们唯一认为的：首购即决定复购，产品口味决定品牌喜好！尤其是目前消费者对预制菜品牌的偏好无太多认知，解决美味更要重视三度：
一是口味还原的程度
二是菜品持续上新的速度
三是把握各地口味喜好的深度
如果菜品不好吃，那么对买菜和做菜的人来说是毫无意义的。在预制菜的初级发展阶段，企业需要对自身核心竞争重新审视，专心专注做精品，而不是将精力放在无序的跟风试错上；产品绝非是以全品类，来满足消费者多元化的需求，而是通过特色大单品和爆品一点点的将消费行为和消费喜好带起来。
塔望食研院认为做大菜、做难菜、做特色菜是解决产品同质化和低毛利，实现市场爆破的关键！同时需要满足区域性口味，而能满足全国人民统一口味的菜，截止到目前还未出现过。即使是享誉全球的小龙虾，也形成了十八种口味，去满足各地方的饮食习惯。因此塔望食研院认为，预制菜的市场开发必须根据不同市场做深度定制，以标品+非标的方式对区域市场进行深耕拓展。
4. 安全是基础
安全是预制菜头顶上的达克摩斯之剑
中国食品行业多年来一直强调“食品安全战略化”，预制菜作为中央工厂生出来的预包装食品食材，在安全卫生的问题上，自然要比之餐厅和生鲜农贸更加严格和标准化。安全是悬在预制菜企业和品牌头顶上的达克摩斯之剑，要想走得稳，走得长久，安全是红线，不容踩踏，也是预制菜企业的底线，不可逾越。
5. 新鲜是挑战
短保新鲜的预制食材是差异竞争机会
中国人吃菜，讲究时令季节，以新鲜食材为佳，预制菜少则几个个月，多则一两年的有效期，从某种程度上说，是反人类的。再加上如果原材料不新鲜的话，更会加重对新鲜理念的挑战。短保新鲜的食材，在放弃更方便的同时，可以有效解决这一问题，背后考验的是预制菜整体供应链的运转速度和品牌的综合运营能力。
6. 健康是初心
偏离健康的初心，必会消耗大众的热情
健康中国的国策之下，食品摄入减盐、减脂、减卡，而预制菜为突出自身口味优势，添加过多的油盐酱醋辣等调味品，导致摄入过量的可能；为降低成本，采用不新鲜的食材；为使菜品长期冷冻保存不变质，过多添加食品添加剂，翻看背面配料表，尽是满满的科技与狠活。如果偏离了健康的初心，必会消耗大众的热情。
7. 营养是短板
先低温，再高温，荤素营养流失是短板
荤素搭配，营养均衡，是食材营养摄入的标准法则，而这正是目前预制菜的短板，新鲜的绿叶菜无法长期保鲜，低温锁鲜也仅是针对肉和水产类产品。所以现阶段冷冻型预制菜，以“多肉少菜”的组合更为常见，未来如何提升目前菜品荤素营养搭配，解决工厂制作过程中低温冷冻及消费者二次高温加热后营养的流失问题。
结语：
预制菜作为国内现阶段的风口浪尖行业，市场随时酝酿着洗牌的可能，须要明确的是，躺赚快钱的时代已经过去。当潮水退去，谁在裸泳，显而易见。今天的消费者有更多的选择，行业的掘金者在开发市场的时候，一定要把握消费需求趋势，因时、因地进行经营策略的调整，系统化的竞争体系才是保证品牌持续经营根本。