Two major frozen food companies have launched shrimp products in a bid to compete for a slice of China's lucrative children's food market.
Sanquan Foods and Zhengzhou Synear Food Co. recently launched frozen shrimp dumplings sold with the marketing angle of being nutritious for children.
At a large store run by supermarket chain Huapu in Beijing's Chaoyangmen district, a 210g box of frozen senior shrimp dumplings with label information for parents looking to improve their children's nutritional intake costs 21.90. It sells for RMB (3.06 USD, 2.84 EUR). Similar Sanquan products were priced at RMB 22.80 (US$3.19, EUR 2.96) per 300-gram box. Sanquan's 400 gram box of frozen shrimp dumplings, although not targeted at the infant food sector, sells for RMB 21.90 (US$3.06, EUR 2.84), allowing suppliers to command higher prices in the children's food sector. is shown.
Frozen food companies like Synear and Sanquan are also looking to capitalize on demand for convenient formats of popular regional dishes, a trend that accelerated when the coronavirus pandemic forced restaurants to stay home. .
Synear and Sanquan have long focused on low-priced, mass-market dumplings, but have expanded their offerings to cater to affluent customers looking for ready-to-eat seafood dishes. Synear recently launched snakehead pickle soup in frozen packaged format. In the frozen food sections of Huapu and Jinkelong supermarket chains in Beijing, 400g meals are sold for RMB 22.00 (US$3.08, €2.86).
Synear and Sanquan's size represent formidable competition for seafood companies, including Guolian Aquatic, which are also looking to tap into the frozen food market. Other players vying for the market include Fujian Anyue Food Co., Ltd., a company based on China's southeast coast and a major buyer of seafood in a variety of prepared foods.