Market Trends of Japan Food Flavor And Enhancer Industry
Demand For Ready To Drink Products
Due to hectic and fast-paced lifestyles, consumers gravitate toward convenience food products, including ready-to-drink beverages, as they can be consumed readily and offer easy handling. With consumers increasingly becoming aware of the ingredients used in beverages, they prefer healthier variants with reduced sugar and natural ingredients over standard drinks. Manufacturers are thereby launching products that suit the tastes of Japanese consumers by incorporating local flavors and enhancers. For instance, in 2024, Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd celebrated the onset of the Sakura season in Japan by launching new beverages like Hanami Dango Frappuccino and returning customer favorites such as Sakura AR. The company claimed that the product is a blend of Hanami, a sauce with white Anko flavor, Sakura, strawberry sauce, and soy milk to create a gentle Sakura flavor with a Japanese taste.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages Are Widely Consumed In Japan
Flavors are widely used beverages, including alcoholic drinks, carbonated drinks, coffee, tea, energy drinks, flavored water, juice-based drinks, and sports drinks. Soft drinks are deeply ingrained in Japanese culture and are often consumed on various occasions, including meals, social gatherings, and celebrations. Therefore, beverage manufacturers offer different flavors to cater to diverse consumer tastes, from traditional options like cola and lemon-lime to unique flavors such as green tea, peach, grape, and lychee. Moreover, Japan is one of the most affluent and sophisticated consumer markets in Asia, where there is a demand for healthy products with descriptive labeling that can provide a better understanding of the ingredients used in the product formulation. Therefore, the demand for natural flavors in beverages is rising due to the growing interest of consumers in clean-label goods, which are drinks made from ingredients of natural origin and are slightly processed.
