Functional foods combining convenience and nutrition rise in China, says Doki Doki co-founder

09 Jun 2021 --- Functional food is in its nascent stage in China, but it’s growing very quickly, according to Doki Doki co-founder Alex Goh. “In the post-pandemic era, this segment will only expand further due to consumers making more proactive and conscious choices about their health,” he tells NutritionInsight. 

The functional foods market will continue to grow in four key sub-segments according to the company: organic, better-for-you, naturally healthy and fortified foods. 

“Consumers are no longer satisfied by companies resting on their laurels. With increasing diversification, transparency and product personalization, consumers are choosing those with proven benefits that they can trust,” Goh notes.

Products that offer nutritional benefits in a convenient format are pegged for further growth.

China chooses ingestible beauty
The functional drinks company is seeing a lot of potential for ingestible beauty NPD in China and across the globe. Products that offer nutritional benefits in a convenient format are pegged for further growth, Goh supports.

“Food consumption habits are changing. As working adults juggle multiple responsibilities, time is of the essence. Consumers seek out highly nutritious functional foods as a meal supplement or replacement. In other words, lifestyle optimization is key.”

“The most well-received category in China right now is beauty, and no surprise, that’s our biggest and fastest seller. To appeal to our Chinese market, our R&D team is investing initial efforts into incorporating traditional Chinese herbs into our products, such as by replacing the tamarind in our juice with turmeric, or jiang hiang.” 

Perhaps what will be interesting and challenging moving forward is exposing Chinese consumers to Western superfoods such as acai and chia seeds, Goh notes.

An ever-evolving space
Functional food development is the answer to the modern consumer’s evolving needs, according to Goh. 

“We find that the primary motivation for purchasing functional foods is to diminish the unhealthy effects of a busy lifestyle and to make proactive health and beauty choices.”

The earliest functional foods focused on subtracting unhealthy components such as sugar, salt, carbs and fats from existing products, such as the invention of “zero” drinks by Coca-Cola and Pepsi. 

More recently, functional food companies are adopting an additive approach by “adding” more nutrition to base foods instead. 

“The move toward plant-based, organic, high-protein products signal consumers’ conscious desire to eliminate all versions of unhealthy products. This is by transitioning to ones they perceive as originally and sufficiently nutritious, with added fortifications,” he supports.

Functional food development is the answer to the modern consumer’s evolving needs, says Alex Goh.

Consumers need impact NPD
Goh says that consumers are looking for long-term benefits from their functional foods. “We’re seeing a shift in people’s mindsets where they’re taking a more proactive role in preventive healthcare.” 

Consumers take measures to protect their immunity by being more selective with what they eat. This partially explains the rise in superfoods and functional foods, Goh notes. 

“This trend was also accelerated by the impact of COVID-19, as people all around the world are looking to fortify their immune health before they can be vulnerable to any virus,” he adds.

While many consumers still adopt the subtractive approach of eliminating products with sugar, salt and fats, Goh says more people are taking on the additive approach by looking for added nutrients in their food.

“Food companies have taken notice of this. It is why you see products such as protein-fortified coffee, collagen beer or soft drinks with added dextrin (dietary fiber), which all have been launched in the past ten years.”

“We’re also capitalizing on this trend by marketing our functional foods as consuming nutrition the way nature intended.”

Consumers take measures to protect their immunity by being more selective with what they eat. Importance of clinical backing
Clinical studies confirming NPD’s benefits are important, according to Goh. They are a crucial factor in convincing consumers of a product’s credibility, especially when it comes to the efficacy of functional foods. 

“The fact is that most food has some degree of functional benefits; the challenge is to quantify them.”

Clinical studies address this so that consumers have reasonable expectations of what a product can offer. Furthermore, because clinical studies are a costly effort, consumers can expect a certain level of quality and food safety from the brand, he notes.

“When marketing our Beauty series like Glow Collagen and Lean Up Calorie-Burning juices, we emphasize the scientific basis of their formulation by referring our audience to multiple clinical studies proving their efficacy.”

“We believe consumers are empowering themselves by focusing on the knowledge and evidence behind functional foods, not simply taking them at face value,” Goh supports.

Packaging focus
Doki Doki’s portfolio includes novel drink formats with added benefits that also boast innovative packaging solutions.

“Our primary innovation is that we offer consumers convenience and versatility with our single-serve fruit nectar that’s stored in a pouch. They simply have to add water to enjoy it as a juice. They can also add other bases such as plant-based milk.”

“We’re also focusing on sustainability, which is a growing consumer concern that’s here to stay. This new format cuts down on our carbon footprint. We learned that a typical disposable beverage bottle has an average of 80 g carbon footprint, due to plastic production, water content, transportation and storage.”

With pouches, the company reduces its carbon footprint on the logistics end by using only 0.2 g of plastic in product packaging and reducing the carbon costs of shipping.

By Kristiana Lalou