Soft candy, is a class of elastic and chewy candy in the market widely used name, mainly gel candy, because of its and hard candy in the sensory obvious difference, make “soft candy” this image of the popular name for the public, the market common candy brands, such as Want Want, Yak, good luck, Nestle, etc. gel candy products on the label are also mostly sold under the “soft candy” as the product name. Most of the candy products on the market, such as Want Want, Yakult, Goodyear, Nestle and other gel products, are also marketed under the name “gummy candy” on their labels.

On February 20, 2021, the General Administration of Market Supervision (“GAMS”) issued the announcement of “Dosage Forms and Technical Requirements for Health Food Products for Record (2021 Edition)” (hereinafter referred to as the “Technical Requirements”), in which gel confectionery in the form of food products was for the first time included in the dosage forms of products for record of health food products. Gelatin dosage form has gradually become the main form of health and nutritional food in foreign countries, and we hope to see the development of gelatin dosage form in China from two aspects.

Record of soft candy dosage form in China

Because the soft candy dosage form is stipulated as gel candy in health food, we take “gel candy” as the keyword to search the health food record in the special food query platform of the State Market Supervision and Administration of the State Food and Drug Administration (SMRA), and found that there are 307 records, which we analyze.

1.The number of health food recordings of gel candy in different years

From the above data, it can be seen that since the opening of gel confectionery as a health food dosage form in 2021, the number of gel confectionery products filed for record has been growing, with an increase of 65% in 2022 compared with 2021.

2. Recorded number of gel confectionery health food products in different provinces

From the above data, it can be seen that Anhui Province has become the province with the largest number of filed health food products for gel confectionery, with 82 filed health food products in the first place, which is nearly 55% higher than that of the second-ranked Jiangxi Province.

3. Top 10 gel confectionery health food companies and number of filings

From the above data, it can be seen that Xianle Health has become the enterprise with the largest number of gel candy health food filed with 43 products, and its main products cover calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K and other vitamins and minerals raw materials.

Soft candy dosage form market

Gummy candy dosage form has a form closer to snacks for young people, and can bring a more food-like feeling without burden in terms of taste. Newer functional gummies often have edgier packaging designs and more youthful slogans to attract younger consumers.

For the Chinese market, functional soft candy is one of the new consumer brands that should not be underestimated. Data from the China Food Industry Association indicates that the outlook for the gummy vitamin market is optimistic, with a compound annual growth rate of about 6%, and is expected to grow from about $3.1 billion in 2018 to about $5.8 billion in 2029. Among them, women have high consumption of gummy vitamins, while children will be the major consumers of gummy vitamins by 2024.

In terms of consumer groups, the main target groups of functional gummies are the post-90s and Generation Z young people. With the “punk health” spirit of the post-90s, generation Z young people become the main force of consumption, functional soft candy market demand will continue to increase.

On the whole, soft candy will show the following major trends:

1. Low sugar
The flavor of soft candy is its main success factor to win the market, but its higher sugar content may cause tooth decay in children and lead to obesity, so reducing the sugar content of soft candy and maintaining its flavor is also an important innovation trend. Manufacturers can replace added sugar with sugar substitutes such as erythritol, stevia and rooibos, or use natural fruit and vegetable ingredients.

2. Vegetable Gelatinization
Differences in soft candy ingredients affect the overall taste and texture of the product, especially the chewiness. The main factor affecting the texture of fondant comes from the “colloid”, and different choices of colloid ingredients can change the texture of fondant. Gelatine-based gel systems are very tough and bouncy, while phytocolloids are fresher and easier to swallow than other combinations, and have a better texture. In addition, the market for vegan gummies is growing over the next two years due to increased consumer awareness and demand for alternatives to animal-sourced ingredients (e.g., gelatin).

3. Nutrient Compounding
In terms of nutrient types, the development of single vitamin K or vitamin D and calcium complexes, and vitamin B series is relatively stable. And those dietary supplements that can protect the eyes and provide vision health will become more and more popular in all product dosage forms.

4. Free branding
While gummy supplements have great potential in China, the U.S. market has gradually matured, and the U.S. gummy market is in the late stages of growth and entering a mature stage. Therefore, as with all mature market segments, we will see the market share of private label products continue to grow over the next few years, and the resulting competition for the base product will become more intense.

5. Portable sachet packaging
Although consumers prefer bottles and cans as the packaging type for gummy supplements, the trend will be toward more portable vertical pouch packaging.

6. More innovative flavors
At present, the flavor of gummy dietary supplements is wrapped up by citrus, strawberry, blueberry and other flavors, one of the reasons is due to the acidic taste of these fruits, easy to cover up the special flavor of the functional ingredients, and the second is familiar with the natural fruits can be better accepted by the consumers, and more new flavors, such as grapefruit flavor, guava flavor and so on, are also in the process of continuous development and expansion.