Agricultural products raise the health banner: are consumers willing to pay?
Are taro and taro still different? Is there even a difference in the rice we eat every day? The answer is yes.
Selenium-enriched red rice, amino acid-rich taro... As more and more functional agricultural products holding high the "health banner" come close to us, we cannot help but wonder: are these agricultural products really worthy of the name? If the premium level rises, can enterprise profits go up? Faced with this kind of functional agricultural product, are consumers willing to pay? A reporter conducted in-depth research and interviews on this.
Do agricultural enterprises have a market basis for their decisions?
It should be said that agricultural enterprises' choice to play the "health card" is inseparable from China's age-old concept of maintaining health through food, or rather, the concept of "food and medicine sharing the same origin" has deep historical and cultural accumulation and a broad popular base in China.
"Huainanzi: Xiuwu Xun" states: "Shennong tasted the flavors of a hundred herbs and the sweetness and bitterness of spring water, so that the people would know what to avoid and what to accept. At that time, in one day he encountered seventy poisons." This shows that in Shennong's era, medicine and food were not separated; what was non-toxic could be taken, and what was toxic should be avoided. The Tang Dynasty book "Huangdi Neijing Taisu" wrote: "Taken on an empty stomach, it is food; taken by the sick, it is medicine," reflecting the idea that "food and medicine share the same origin."
"At a time when everyone pays attention to health preservation and care, putting forward the concept of 'food and medicine sharing the same origin' is indeed helpful for raising the added value of agricultural products and their market competitiveness." Lou Xiangpeng, chief consultant of Beijing Fulai Brand Marketing Consulting Agency, introduced that traditional Chinese medicine has had the theory of "medicine and food sharing the same origin" since ancient times. This theory holds that many foods are both food and medicine, and that food, like medicine, can also prevent and treat diseases.
A reporter conducted random street visits, and ten consumers of different age groups all said that they usually pay great attention to dietary therapy at home and have somewhat higher requirements for dietary health. What foods have high vitamin content and what foods reduce internal heat are all things they must be clear about.
How do professional traditional Chinese medicine physicians view this? Zhang Rui, a physician at the traditional Chinese medicine clinic of Beijing Shangdi Community Hospital, told the reporter that many foods are themselves Chinese medicinal materials, and different agricultural products have different properties and inherently different effects on the body. When this property of an agricultural product is strengthened during cultivation and breeding, it undoubtedly acquires stronger health-preserving and health-care functions.
Are health-care functions worthy of the name?
Agricultural enterprises mostly promote that their agricultural products have health-care functions, so how are these functions demonstrated? Are agricultural products carrying the "health banner" worthy of the name?
In the Sanhu Management District of Jiangling County, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, there are more than 5,000 mu of distinctive red rice - this is selenium-enriched red rice planted and managed by Jingzhou Longyun Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
Wang Weiyun, an engineer at the Hubei Jingzhou Selenium-Enriched Ecological Food Research and Development Center, said that the average selenium content of selenium-enriched red rice reaches 38ug/100 grams, and after consumption it can effectively improve immunity and protect heart and brain cells, far exceeding ordinary rice in health-care functions.
"Different agricultural products are rich in different trace elements and have different combinations for different constitutions. As long as the diet is scientifically matched, this kind of functional agricultural product is beneficial to the human body." Physician Zhang Rui told the reporter that for pregnant women, foods rich in the trace element selenium are indeed helpful for strengthening the body, and moderate consumption can reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and other diseases.
Take Taizhou taro in Jiangsu as another example. In recent years, Taizhou taro has focused on the concept of "health and wellness" and achieved good social recognition. In the quality index testing of Taizhou taro, famous taro varieties from three well-known provinces and cities nationwide, including Taizhou, were used as the control system. The test results showed that the total amino acid content, collagen, phosphorus and potassium elements of Taizhou taro had maximum values respectively 193%, 150%, nearly 2 times and nearly 4.5 times higher than the maximum values of the famous taro varieties from the other two provinces and cities. Long-term consumption can meet modern people's needs for dietary fiber and a healthy diet.
Of course, exaggerated publicity for functional agricultural products in the market is not absent either. In recent years, several tea oil and tea enterprises in the market have been suspected of false advertising, with a very obvious tendency to mislead consumers. Such chaos will be effectively curbed after the implementation of the new "Advertising Law." Article 56 of the new "Advertising Law" stipulates: "For false advertisements of goods or services related to consumers' life and health that cause harm to consumers, the advertising operators, advertising publishers and advertising spokespersons shall bear joint and several liability with the advertisers." Wu Jingming, associate professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said that the new law mainly targets acts that have long been strongly reported by the masses and are suspected of fraud. In the future, exaggerated and fraudulent promotional acts will make enterprises lose more than they gain.
How can healthy agricultural products be accepted by the market?
"Healthy agricultural products are good things, but in terms of positioning, whether they can be accepted by consumers, especially ordinary consumers, is a issue enterprises must consider." Lou Xiangpeng said that the planting and production of this kind of functional agricultural product, including marketing costs, are relatively high, and ultimately all of this will be passed on to the end point. In order to understand the market clearly, the reporter conducted an investigation into this.
In Honghu City, Hubei Province, "Honghu Wild Lotus Juice" is a healthy beverage created by Huagui Food Co., Ltd. to meet market demand. According to Mei Dazuo, general manager of Huagui Aquatic Products, before the product was put into production, the enterprise conducted detailed research on the expected consumer groups in the market, and there was no similar beverage on the market. Sure enough, as soon as it came out, "Honghu Wild Lotus Juice" received great welcome from consumers.
In terms of product form, both the wild lotus juice and the selenium-enriched red rice tea developed by Longyun Company target the habits of mainstream consumer groups in the market. "White-collar workers in big cities do not cook very often, so this kind of beverage was developed to meet the needs of these consumers." One consumer said so to the reporter.
In terms of market positioning, the prices of wild lotus juice and red rice tea both target the mainstream beverages currently on the market, and series products at different price points have been launched to cover consumers at different levels. "Because this kind of beverage is not very common on the market, and because it has health-preserving and health-care functions, from what we can see now it has relatively strong competitiveness in the market." The person in charge of the enterprise told the reporter.
Zhu Lizhi, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the target consumer group for healthier agricultural products is not small; the key is that the agricultural products themselves must be excellent. Organic products must be grown organically throughout the entire process. Claims about which trace elements they are rich in cannot be made without evidence; there must be clear testing certificates. In the end, no matter how good the thing is, you must have the ability to sell it.