Japan Focus: Tea focus, Chupa Chups drinks, bottled water radiation and more feature in our round-up
Negativi-tea: Decline in Japan’s domestic tea leaf consumption continues as RTD and coffee grow
Japan’s domestic tea leaf consumption shows no sign of reversing its longstanding decline with ready-to-drink beverages and coffee continuing to gain popularity at its expense across the nation.
According to the latest data from the National Tea Producing Federation, domestic tea consumption fell from 811g per person in 2000 to 680g in 2018.
Founder and president of Kyoto-based Global Japanese Tea Association (GJTA), Simona Zavadckyte told FoodNavigator-Asia the traditional way of preparing and consuming Japanese tea in a teapot may be perceived as old-fashioned, especially among younger consumers.
Ayurvedic tea in Japan: Start-up adds two new blends as sales reach the boil
Japanese start-up eatreat.tea has formulated two Ayurvedic tea blends, touted for its relaxation and refreshing functions.
The first new blend is a chai-based tea (Japanese name: karada ga pokapoka) which claims to relieve anxiety, warm the body, and help consumers feel calmer. It contains cassia, roasted Japanese green tea, ginger roots, cardamom, cloves, and licorice.
The second blend (Japanese name: kibun ga sawayaka) is a tea said to provide refreshing functions.
‘Fun and nostalgic’: Chupa Chups launches first milk-based beverages in Japan market
Confectionery giant Perfetti Van Melle has collaborated with Toyo Beverage to introduce its first range of drinks in Japan under the Chupa Chups brand.
The products include a strawberry cream milk drink launched in July, and a cola jelly drink scheduled to release in August.
Global parity: Radiation levels in Japanese bottled water assessed nine years after nuclear accident
Radiation levels in Japan’s bottled water – which soared in popularity following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident – have been found to be in line with levels across the world.
According to the Mineral Water Association of Japan, bottled water consumption increased from 19.7 L/y per capita in 2010 to 31.7 L/y per capita in 2019.
On average, people typically ingest 0.3 mSv/y of radiation from bottled water due to naturally occurring radionuclides such as 238U, 232Th, 40K in their diet. Drinking water contributes about 0.01 mSv/y.
Go fast or go home: Why food and beverage firms need to innovate quickly to meet consumer needs amid COVID-19
Brands and suppliers need to innovate with speed and agility to meet the meet changing demands from APAC’s consumers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, an expert panel featuring a raft of top firms has concluded.
The discussion was held during the second FoodNavigator-Asia Unlocking Innovation Online Series webinar, on the topic of ‘New Product Development and the Evolving Consumer Landscape’.
The five-person panel consisted of Lars Bredmose, senior director of dairy health at Chr. Hansen, Eric Weisser, senior director of growth platforms at Ingredion APAC, Dr Ana San Gabriel, associate general manager at Ajinomoto, Brad Burgess, consultant and former head of international corporate affairs at JD.com and Sarah Maddock, marketing transformation director at Heineken APAC.
