元气森林推冰能量电解质能量饮料；日本发售“可食用猫毛”棉花糖 | 创新周报

This article curates 10 newly launched innovative food and beverage products from domestic and international markets, compiling their core selling points, availability, and pricing for consumers looking to discover new releases and try them out based on their needs.

1. A number of daily food items have launched in offline retail channels including grocery stores and membership warehouses in China. For example, Oarmilk has teamed up with retail chain Hema to launch DIY Greek yogurt bowls starting at 9.9 yuan per bowl. High in natural protein, the product lets customers add their own toppings such as organic flaxseed to align with healthy eating demands. Lay’s has launched mini hash browns exclusively at membership warehouse Sam’s Club, priced at 59.9 yuan for 400g. Individually packaged for portability, the crispy, lightly salted product is designed for office and snacking scenarios. Yili has partnered with grocery chain RT-Mart to launch probiotic ice cream priced at 15.9 yuan per box, which features patented live bacteria and is suitable for consumption in multiple scenarios.

2. Many new releases have also launched via online channels. Genki Forest has launched Ice Energy electrolyte drinks priced at 89 yuan per 15-bottle case, marketed for rehydration and energy replenishment with added taurine and multiple vitamins. Eastmoney’s content-to-commerce brand Dongfang Zhenxuan has launched its first self-operated craft beer, priced at 59.9 yuan per 12-can case. Brewed slowly over 28 days using only malt, it delivers a full-bodied flavor. Additionally, a Japanese brand has launched "edible cat fur" marshmallows, whose realistic cat-shaped design targets cat lovers looking for a novel treat.

This article compiles recent product innovation, marketing and channel layout moves by food and beverage brands, providing consumer trend insights and inspiration for product R&D and marketing execution for brand owners.

1. Product R&D trends: Healthification, functionalization and sustainability are currently the core R&D directions, with multiple leading brands expanding into these segments. Examples include Genki Forest’s new functional electrolyte drink, Yili’s addition of self-developed patented probiotics to its ice cream line, Danone’s lineup of zero-addition, high-protein plant-based products, and Nestlé’s adoption of regeneratively grown wheat ingredients, all aligning with consumer demand for healthy and environmentally friendly products.

2. Marketing and channel layout takeaways: Cross-border co-branding has become a standard customer acquisition strategy for brands, with multiple examples of this model featured in this roundup: Oarmilk x Hema, Pepsi x Shanghai Disney Resort, Yili x RT-Mart, among others. Most follow a channel-co-branding model for exclusive custom products, which leverages the channel’s in-house traffic to reach target customers accurately. Brands also tier pricing across different channels and positioning, ranging from mass-market 9.9-yuan items to 68-yuan limited editions to cover diverse consumer demands.

This article organizes recent new product activity in the food and beverage sector to help sellers identify new consumer opportunities and provides reference for product selection and operational strategy.

1. Opportunities from shifting consumer demand: Consumers increasingly favor healthy, functional products, with high-protein, zero-sugar, zero-fat and patented-function products seeing strong demand. At the same time, novelty and emotionally resonant products can attract niche consumer segments: Japan’s "edible cat fur" marshmallow is a case in point, tapping into the emotional demand of cat lovers to carve out a new niche market.

2. Actionable operational takeaways: Co-branded exclusive product lines are a proven growth path. Multiple brands have launched exclusive new products in partnership with offline grocery chains, membership warehouses and well-known IPs, leveraging the partner’s traffic to reach target customers accurately and lower customer acquisition costs. Examples like Oarmilk x Hema and Lay’s x Sam’s Club have earned strong exposure quickly. Sellers should prioritize product selection across three high-potential segments: healthy functional products, sustainable products, and emotionally resonant creative offerings.

The new product trends compiled in this article reflect shifting demand on the food manufacturing side, providing reference for product development directions and business cooperation opportunities to help food factories capture industry opportunities.

1. Product manufacturing and design demand: Product development now places greater emphasis on consumer experience and scenario adaptability. This includes individual packaging for office and on-the-go scenarios, wide-mouth bowl designs that enable consumer DIY customization, fully transparent packaging to boost visual appeal, and small experiential touches like popping candy to create multi-sensory experiences. Factories need to adjust their R&D and manufacturing processes to match these new demands.

2. Business opportunities and transformation insights: Health-focused functional ingredients and sustainable raw materials are industry megatrends, already being scaled by leading brands: for example, Nestlé is piloting regeneratively grown wheat, and Yili is developing patented probiotic products. Factories can get ahead by investing in related technology and raw material R&D to position themselves for partnership opportunities with leading brands. In addition, as more brands partner with channels to launch custom exclusive products, factories can expand into custom manufacturing to unlock new growth.

The new product trends compiled in this article make it possible to map out development trends in the food and beverage industry and unpack the real needs of brand owners, providing strategic reference for food-related service providers.

1. Industry development trends: The food and beverage industry is currently evolving along three core growth tracks: healthy functionalization, creative emotionalization, and sustainability. The health track has already split into multiple sub-segments including high-protein, zero-addition, and functional ingredient products. The creative track focuses on IP co-branding and emotional customization for niche groups. The sustainability track centers on building regenerative agricultural supply chains. All three represent major new growth areas for the industry.

2. Client pain points and business opportunities: The core pain point for brand owners today is building differentiated product selling points. Service providers can develop targeted supporting services to match this demand: for example, developing proprietary functional formulas and patented strain technologies for the functional food segment, connecting brands to regenerative agricultural supply chain resources for the sustainability track, and offering IP matching services and innovative packaging design for marketing teams.

The multiple cooperation cases included in this article reflect what brands want from platform channels, and provides reference for merchant recruitment and operations management for all types of platforms.

1. Core brand demand for platforms: Brands increasingly prioritize custom co-branding partnerships with platforms, aiming to launch exclusive products and acquire customers accurately by leveraging the platform’s traffic advantage and user segmentation. For platforms, exclusive products also drive foot traffic and improve repeat purchases, creating a win-win cooperation model. Oarmilk x Hema, Lay’s x Sam’s Club, and Yili x RT-Mart are all典型 examples of this model.

2. Reference for platform operations and recruitment: Platforms can proactively launch exclusive custom product cooperation programs to attract brands to develop platform-exclusive lines and build their own product differentiation. For merchant recruitment, platforms can prioritize opportunities in high-demand trending categories including healthy functional products, creative new releases, and sustainable products to match shifting consumer demand. For limited-edition IP co-branded products, platforms can set up dedicated in-store display areas to leverage social media buzz and drive in-store foot traffic.

The recent food and beverage new product trends compiled in this article reveal multiple new shifts in the current food and beverage industry, offering high reference value for industry research.

1. New shifts on the product and supply chain side: Health-focused functionalization has become a cross-category innovation direction, with product categories from beverages to dairy to ice cream all adding functional ingredients and positioning around health benefits. At the same time, emotional creative innovation for niche consumer segments is on the rise, as seen in niche products like the "edible cat fur" marshmallow that caters to the emotional demand of cat owners. On the supply chain side, leading brands have begun布局 sustainable regenerative agriculture: Nestlé is piloting regeneratively grown wheat, with a target to source 50% of its core ingredients from regenerative agriculture by 2030, establishing sustainability as a core industry development direction.

2. New shifts in business models: The brand-channel co-branded exclusive product model is becoming increasingly widespread, creating a win-win structure that lets brands reach targeted customers and helps channels improve their differentiated competitiveness. Limited-edition IP co-branded products have also become a common model for brands to boost brand awareness. Both trends merit ongoing in-depth research from industry analysts.