Infant milk leads growth

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Infant milk led Indonesia's fastest growing Food and Beverage categories in 2001, with 53 percent growth, followed by Cheese with 51 percent growth and energy drink with 50 percent growth, according to a study issued by marketing information company ACNielsen recently

Although some of the growth was a rebound from the level recorded during the economic crisis situation several years ago, most of the country's food and beverage products booked a healthy growth during the year.

ACNielsen said that the sales of energy drink category showed a significant growth party due to massive promotional activities, while the launch of new products helped propel the sales of the snack category by 45 percent.

In the global marketplaces, three of the five fastest growing Food and Beverage categories were beverages, led overwhelmingly by prepared alcoholic drinks such as `malternatives' according to a study released by ACNielsen recently.

Water and drinkable Yogurts also made the top five globally. Out of over 90 categories reviewed, only nine grew by 10 percent or more in 2001.

In the Asia Pacific region, however, bottled water (still and carbonated) dominated as the single fastest growing product in the food and beverage categories.

Driven by new product entries, a concern for health and safety and the need for a convenient, portable drink alternative, sales in bottled water grew seven percent in the region last year.

"There has been quite a bit of innovation lately, particularly in the beverage sector", according to Jane Perrin, ACNielsen Managing Director of Global Services, and the sponsor of the study, What's Hot in Global Growth - Insights on Growth in Food and Beverages.

"When we looked around the world, despite all of the cultural differences that one would expect, certain types of products resonate with global consumers - products that are healthy, convenient and provide some excitement and innovation to their lives," Perrin said.

Convenient products address consumers' busy lifestyles. Illustrative of the convenience trend is the double-digit growth seen in categories such as ready-to-eat refrigerated meals and meal makers and refrigerated pre- packaged salads.

Frozen fruit, ready to thaw and serve without spoilage, is another example of a category addressing the consumer need for convenience.

ACNielsen based its findings on its own retail sales data from 47 countries in North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The 47 markets account for more than 95 percent of the world's Gross Domestic Product and more than 70 percent of the world's population.