Under the blue ocean, elderly snacks need to be broken

Since China entered the aging society, the scale of the elderly population has been increasing day by day, and the degree of aging has been deepening, and the silver economy has become one of
the key directions of various enterprises and platforms.
For the elderly whose appetite is gradually declining, delicious and small snacks are a choice
to supplement nutrition and relieve fatigue in addition to the main meal.
However, limited by age, health and other factors, ordinary public snacks are difficult to meet the health needs of the silver-haired group, and manufacturers should increase the research and development of elderly snacks and work product taste and nutrition
.

Taste and health are the focus

According to the "2022 "Silver-haired Family" Consumer Trend Report released by Jingdong Consumer and Industry Development Research Institute, the number of transaction orders and users of "Silver-haired Family" has steadily increased over the years, and in the first 8 months of 2022, the transaction volume, shopping users and per capita order volume of "Silver-haired Family" reached 3 times, 1.
8 times and 1.
7 times respectively in 2018, and more and more "Silver-haired Family" have achieved the transformation from 0 to 1 to 10, gradually getting used to online shopping, and the types of shopping are more diversified; In terms of products suitable for the elderly, the return-oriented consumption of the post-80s and post-90s generations is prominent, and young people have bought half of the applicable products
for the elderly.

According to the data of the seventh national census, as of 2021, the number of elderly people aged 60 and above in the country reached 267 million, accounting for 18.
9%
of the total population.
The market for casual snacks targeting this large segment has great
potential.
For the silver-haired group, the choice of leisure snacks is still mainly traditional foods such as milk powder, cereal, protein powder, etc.
, and limited category cognition and daily purchase habits limit their choice space
.

At present, taste is still the first demand
for snacks among the silver-haired group.
The survey results show that most silver-haired people make taste their first consideration when choosing snacks, and sweet and fluffy bread and pastries have become their most common zero food category
.
As we age, the deterioration of taste also profoundly affects the dietary choices
of the silver-haired group.
At the same time, the silver-haired group is no less sensitive to taste than young people, and traditional elderly snacks are sometimes not favored
.

One consumer said he liked snacks
such as bread and pastry.
However, due to periodontal disease, "soft" pasta is more chosen as a staple food in the daily diet because it is better to eat and digest.

Another consumer said that he did not like powders such as sesame paste, believing that the taste was single and the texture was sticky
.

The attitude of many silver-haired groups towards snacks is "I don't like to eat so much when I get older", but it is not that I don't eat it, one consumer mentioned that when I see a new snack, I will buy it to try, and my daughter's favorite snacks will also buy me, such as sesame filled seaweed, or hawthorn cake made in the shape of osmanthus flowers, and mung bean sorbet, the taste is very good
.
For trendy snack styles and tastes, the silver-haired group is still willing to try
.

Silver-haired people generally have a sense of health management, and the "unhealthy" stereotype of snacks and the need for health preservation sometimes make them unable to eat and dare not eat.

If the snack has the attributes of no sucrose and high nutrient content, it is favored by the silver-haired group, and the "silver-haired people" are more willing to eat healthy
than over-packaged snacks.

Understanding the needs of the elderly is key

With the quiet rise of the aging industry, it has become a guide
to develop and promote products suitable for the elderly and expand the development space of the silver economy market for sustainable growth.
At present, there is a large market development gap between the supply and demand ends of the elderly snack market, but how the supplier of age-appropriate products can truly understand the needs of the elderly is still a key pain point
.

Suitable for all ages = suitable for the elderly? This is not the case, search for "elderly snacks", most of the products displayed on the e-commerce platform are pastry combinations, including traditional pastry baking snacks such as jujube pastry and peach crisp, as well as seasoned meal
replacements such as various styles of small bread.
Children prefer to buy such snacks for the elderly, mainly because pastries are shelf-stable, satiety, and pastries are highly accepted, which are suitable for
all ages.
However, higher acceptance does not mean that pastries are suitable for the silver-haired group
.

Natural ingredients = nutrition? Silver-haired people are more concerned about their health and are more inclined to choose low-calorie foods or sugar substitutes made from natural ingredients
.
However, the cooking methods of such products may not be natural, such as yam chips and buckwheat chips, which are actually fried; The addition of wheat flour in coarse grain biscuits still dominates the ingredients, and it is difficult to supplement dietary fiber
.

Mainstay for the elderly = only the elderly to buy? At present, the existing elderly snacks on the market have not fully entered the vision of
the silver-haired group.
When it comes to snacks for the elderly, many elderly people still stay in some traditional pastries, biscuits and other categories
that are common in supermarkets.
Most elderly people said that they do not take the initiative to buy snacks, usually children buy, filial piety economy is actually the most common scene
of elderly snacks.

Industry insiders said that at present, the variety of leisure snacks for the elderly is single, most of which are mainly traditional Chinese pastries, and the taste is relatively soft, and the functions
of nutrition and health will be more prominent in the future.
At the same time, most of the elderly leisure snacks are too high in sugar, which is not suitable for diabetics or the elderly with abnormal blood sugar, and it is urgent to increase the research and development of
new products.

Segment the population to increase research and development efforts

Although the silver economy is the next golden track in the food and beverage industry, there are fewer
foods in the food market that can meet the balanced needs of the elderly.
In the elderly snack market, although there are no representative brands, there are already many entrants
.
In response to the different needs of the silver market, some brands also have different marketing methods and launched a variety of different products
.

At present, more and more snack brands in the elderly snack market are gradually turning to the silver track, focusing on the development of food lines for specific groups of people and promoting the update and iteration
of elderly leisure snacks.
The growing demand for healthy food among young people has also injected vitality
into the aging innovation of snack brands.

In the future, the demand will gradually refine, and the snack market will be deeply cultivated by specific groups
.
At present, there are fewer snack lines developed for the silver-haired group, and most products serve a need
that coincides with the diet of the elderly.
At the same time, limited by the decline of taste function, the flavor of elderly snacks should be optimized while ensuring health, and a full-process integrated elderly snack consumption experience
should be created.

New and old brands work together to diversify
the food category suitable for aging.
The characteristics of soft and sweet pastries meet the needs of silver-haired groups for teeth and taste, and the characteristics of belly and shelf-storage are relatively more suitable for the physical condition of the silver-haired group's appetite decline, such as Daoxiang Village to develop sugar alcohol taro mud cake, adding taro paste into the product line suitable for the
elderly.
Zhiweiguan and Xinghualou also have innovations
in traditional categories.
In the future, old brands can launch more low-oil snacks, and cross-border cooperation with dietary supplement brands can also provide more choices
for the silver-haired group.

Eat new tricks, nutritious food supplements can also be unique
.
Silver-haired people prefer natural ingredients, and snack manufacturers should develop products with richer taste and newer trends, such as raw steamed yam that can be eaten immediately out of the bag, which can meet the needs of the silver-haired group for satiety and save the trouble
of cooking and cooking.

Industry insiders said that in the future, on the supply side of the leisure market, more and more leisure snacks will be developed for the elderly, and on the demand side, more and more consumers will pursue personalized and diversified segmentation needs, different consumer groups have different consumption needs, and consumer groups are more segmented
.

(Zhu Meiqiao comprehensive arrangement)

China Food News (October 18, 2022, Version 07)

(Editor: Zhu Meiqiao)