The strategic analysis of China's import and export snack food trade in 2025 should be combined with many factors such as global economic trends, changes in consumer demand, policy environment and technological innovation.
The following are systematic suggestions from the perspectives of market trend, product strategy, channel optimization, supply chain management, compliance and brand building:
I. Market trends and demand insights
1. Global health wave
Growth in demand for functional snacks: The global functional food market will reach $275 billion in 2023 (Statista) and is expected to grow by 6.5% annually in 2025. China's exports can focus on high-protein snacks (such as insect protein bars), probiotic nuts, low-GI cereal bars, etc.
Plant-based and clean labels: Plant-based snacks (pea crunch, quinoa cookies) are in high demand in the European and American markets, and need to pass non-GMO, non-additive certification (such as USDA Organic, EU Organic) to increase the premium price.
2. Regional market differentiation
Southeast Asia: Preference for sweet and spicy flavors (such as durian dry, spicy nori), need to adapt to high temperature and humidity environment to improve packaging moisture-proof technology.
Middle East and Africa: Halal certification (Halal) is the threshold, date products, nuts can mainly attack the market.
Europe and the United States: Focus on low carbon snacks (carbon footprint labeling) and ethical consumption (such as fair trade certification).
3. Cross-border e-commerce penetration is accelerating
- China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports in 2022 are 2.11 trillion yuan (General Administration of Customs), and are expected to account for more than 35% of snack food exports in 2025. It is suggested to layout TikTok Shop, Temu and other emerging platforms, and use short video content marketing (such as "open box evaluation") to reach Generation Z.
2. Product strategy: Innovation and localization
1. Technology drives product upgrades
Freeze-drying technology: retain nutrition and extend shelf life, suitable for dried fruits, ready-to-eat soups, exported to areas with weak logistics infrastructure.
3D printed snacks: customized shapes and nutritional ingredients, aimed at high-end children's market (such as Disney IP co-branded).
2. Cultural fusion and taste improvement
Internationalization of Chinese snacks: Reduce the heat and salt of "Internet celebrities" such as Luosifang and spicy strips, and combine them with cultural stories (such as "panda packaging") to enter the North American market through Amazon Grocery.
Reverse innovation: The development of "date + Tahini" energy bars for the Middle East market, combining traditional local ingredients with modern convenience needs.
Third, omni-channel layout and digital marketing
1. Online channels
DTC mode (Direct-to-Consumer) : Build an independent station (such as Shein mode), use Shopify tools to achieve data precipitation and accurate push (such as promoting high-protein cookies for fitness groups).
Social e-commerce: Cooperate with overseas Kols to "snack blind box" unboxing live broadcast, and increase conversion rate through Instagram Reels short-chain purchase.
2. Offline channels
Enter the chain supermarket: through Costco, Carrefour and other channels to test the water, the use of "small size trial package" to reduce the threshold of consumer decision-making.
Local cooperation: Joint launch with Southeast Asian convenience store brands (such as 7-11 Thailand) for regional limited flavors and fast distribution.
Fourth, supply chain and logistics optimization
1. Construction of flexible supply chain
Real-time monitoring of overseas warehouse storage through IoT devices, JIT (just-in-time) production for small-batch multi-batch orders, reducing the delivery cycle to 15 days.
2. Logistics cost control
Central Europe train + overseas warehouse: the transportation cost is 50% lower than air freight, the time is 20 days faster than sea freight (such as Zhengzhou-Hamburg train 12 days), suitable for high-value nut products.
Cold chain technology: Cooperate with logistics providers such as Maersk to provide constant temperature transportation for chocolate and dairy products, and the loss rate is reduced to less than 2%.
V. Compliance and Sustainable development
1. Certification and regulations
Mandatory certification: The new EU regulations in 2023 require snacks to be labeled with "Nutri-Score" nutrition labels, and export enterprises need to adapt the packaging design in advance.
Environmentally friendly packaging: Use degradable materials (such as PLA cornstarch packaging) to avoid the EU plastic tax (2025 or 0.8 euro /kg surcharge).
2. ESG practice
Build a "zero-carbon factory", bind tree planting projects when purchasing Yunnan organic Macadamia fruit, and obtain B Corp certification to enhance brand premium.
6. Policy dividend and risk management
1. RCEP and Belt and Road Opportunities
- Take advantage of the tariff reduction of RCEP member countries (such as reducing the import tariff on Macadamia nuts to 0), build factories in Guangxi and Yunnan, and then export to ASEAN, reducing the cost by 12-15%.
2. Risk hedging
Exchange rate fluctuations: Sign a forward settlement agreement with the bank to lock in the exchange rate after 6 months to reduce the impact of fluctuations in USD/EUR.
Geopolitics: Diversify the market and avoid over-dependence on a single region (e.g., the US market share is limited to 30%).
Data-driven decision support
- Deploy AI market prediction system (such as Alibaba Cloud ET Brain), capture global e-commerce platform review data, real-time analysis of consumer preference changes, and dynamic adjustment of product formulation (such as monitoring the "low sodium" keyword search volume increased by 20%, start salt reduction product research and development).
Summary and suggestions for action
In 2025, China's snack food trading enterprises should focus on "health + localization + digitalization" and build competitive advantages through product innovation, omni-channel penetration, supply chain agility and compliance capabilities. For example, a nut company can land through the following path:
1. Product side: launched "low-sugar pecan" (in line with European and American trends), with recyclable metal cans packaging.
2. Channel side: Launch the #CrazyCrunch Challenge on TikTok Indonesia and connect local influencer to Shopee stores.
3. Supply chain: Set up a sub-assembly plant in Vietnam, and use RCEP tariff preferential export to ASEAN, reducing logistics costs by 18%.
Through these strategies, companies can capture an incremental 5% to 8% share of the estimated $620 billion global snack food market by 2025.