- Confectionery used to refer mainly to the cheap sweets bought by children. Now, however, confectionery comes in all kinds of varieties, and is often eaten more by adults than by children (especially products said to be good for one's health). Children are busy with cram school, lessons and studying, and so have little time to eat sweets nowadays. Rather than giving their children sweets, therefore, parents stock up on McDonald's hamburgers and instant noodles for them to snack on instead when they go to cram school.
- Because of this and also the falling birth rate and aging of the population, demand for confectionary is gradually falling every year. Demand has now shrunk for seven years running, and domestic output of confectionery too has fallen, as the following figures show.
| 1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| 2,457 |
2,434 |
2,403 |
U nit: billion yen
- Confectionery is broadly categorized as follows:
Chewing gum (sweetened/unsweetened)
Candy (candy, drops, gummy, marshmallows, etc.)
Caramel (including nougat)
Other sugar confectionery (other than candy and caramel)
Chocolate confectionery
Bread and dry biscuits
Biscuits (including cookies, sweetened/unsweetened)
Bakery products (gingerbread, similar products, waffles, wafers, cakes, snacks, etc.)
Rice confectionery (rice cakes, rice crackers, etc.)
- Japanese exports in 2000 came to \16.57 billion, representing 0.69% of total output. Imports into Japan stood at \37.10 billion, equivalent to only 1.5% of total output.
- Exports in 2000 broken down by type and destination were as follows. (Total value: \16.57 billion)
| Chewing gum |
|
Candy |
|
Other sugar confectionery |
| Hong Kong |
163,563 |
Taiwan |
806,276 |
Hong Kong |
538,300 |
| Canada |
120,455 |
Hong Kong |
770,732 |
Taiwan |
267,187 |
| U.S.A. |
96,774 |
U.S.A. |
494,023 |
U.S.A. |
235,478 |
| Portugal |
94,976 |
South Korea |
270,116 |
South Korea |
90,446 |
| Saudi Arabia |
76,947 |
Singapore |
194,548 |
Singapore |
43,364 |
| Others |
324,506 |
Others |
275,038 |
Others |
73,543 |
| Total |
877,221 |
Total |
2,810,733 |
Total |
1,248,318 |
| Chocolate confectionery |
|
Bread and dry biscuits |
|
Biscuits (sweetened) |
| Taiwan |
668,287 |
Hong Kong |
7,608 |
Hong Kong |
245,260 |
| Hong Kong |
636,770 |
U.S.A |
4,935 |
Taiwan |
191,380 |
| Philippines |
102,579 |
Taiwan |
4,392 |
U.S.A. |
98,628 |
| U.S.A. |
85,210 |
France |
2,779 |
Singapore |
66,976 |
| South Korea |
76,172 |
South Korea |
1,263 |
Guam |
31,298 |
| Singapore |
68,374 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Others |
62,959 |
Others |
3,067 |
Others |
111,791 |
| Total |
1,700,351 |
Total |
24,044 |
Total |
745,333 |
Bakery products
(sweetened/unsweetened) |
|
Rice confectionery |
| Taiwan |
2,171,880 |
U.S.A. |
943,905 |
| U.S.A. |
1,703,204 |
Netherlands |
362,147 |
| Hong Kong |
1,345,035 |
Taiwan |
251,018 |
| Singapore |
334,341 |
New Zealand |
178,552 |
| Saudi Arabia |
302,376 |
Hong Kong |
114,013 |
| Others |
727,044 |
Others |
726,965 |
| Total |
6,583,880 |
Total |
2,576,600 |
Unit: 1,000 yen
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
- Imports in 2000 broken down by type and source were as follows. (Total value: \37.10 billion).
| Chewing gum |
|
Candy |
|
Caramel |
| U.S.A. |
226,093 |
China |
1,505,982 |
Taiwan |
46,630 |
| South Korea |
120,287 |
Netherlands |
1,474,949 |
Netherlands |
12,733 |
| Canada |
34,409 |
Spain |
1,185,165 |
U.S.A. |
7,872 |
| Philippines |
33,748 |
U.S.A. |
276,614 |
France |
6,735 |
| Thailand |
14,717 |
Austria |
237,308 |
Argentina |
1,667 |
| Others |
70,495 |
Others |
721,782 |
Others |
3,350 |
| Total |
499,749 |
Total |
5,401,800 |
Total |
78,987 |
| Other sugar confectionery |
|
Chocolate confectionery |
|
Bread and dry biscuits |
| Belgium |
177,844 |
U.S.A. |
3,159,239 |
U.S.A. |
599,288 |
| U.S.A. |
156,179 |
Belgium |
1,695,900 |
Switzerland |
107,125 |
| Vietnam |
155,913 |
Australia |
1,497,245 |
Canada |
103,732 |
| China |
136,537 |
Italy |
1,389,177 |
Taiwan |
103,105 |
| Germany |
99,958 |
Austria |
1,214,042 |
Germany |
89,502 |
| Others |
506,805 |
Others |
6,447,135 |
Others |
301,173 |
| Total |
1,233,236 |
Total |
15,402,738 |
Total |
1,303,925 |
| Biscuits (sweetened) |
|
Bakery products
(sweetened/unsweetened) |
|
Rice confectionery |
| U.S.A. |
819,090 |
China |
2,121,569 |
Thailand |
2,150,260 |
| Denmark |
592,921 |
U.S.A. |
1,111,250 |
Taiwan |
109,136 |
| Singapore |
529,276 |
Thailand |
1,037,850 |
China |
89,166 |
| France |
337,328 |
Vietnam |
356,492 |
Vietnam |
13,121 |
| U.K. |
330,610 |
Canada |
317,027 |
South Korea |
8,930 |
| Others |
1,604,376 |
Others |
1,641,877 |
Others |
1,339 |
| Total |
4,213,601 |
Total |
6,586,065 |
Total |
2,371,952 |
Unit: 1,000 yen
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
- Japanese confectionery makers have advanced to Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in Asia, and the United States, Netherlands, France and United Kingdom in Europe and North America. Those that have set up production operations in Asia, however, have generally been re-exporting back to Japan, while those that have established themselves in Europe and North America have more commonly done to sell their output in their host markets. Goods produced overseas used to be imported loose, but in recent years most confectionery has been imported already packaged (in Japanese).
- Confectionery retail prices in Japan are coming down due to the downward trend in prices at supermarkets, underselling among importers, and the depressed state of consumption. The confectionery sold in hundred-yen stores is ordered in large batches, and made exclusively by small and medium-sized Japanese manufacturers.
- Confectionery imports are subject to rigorous inspections under the Food Hygiene Law, and compliance with standards on the use and labeling of food additives in particular is required.
- There is a large market for imported confectionery sold for gifts, such as chocolates for St. Valentine's Day. The majority of chewing gum features popular characters or is sold with novelty goods. Candy is also often sold tinned for gifts.
- Confectionery most commonly reaches the consumer from the manufacturer via wholesaler and retailer (such as a supermarket and convenience store). However, confectionery is often sent directly from makers to retailers, such as supermarkets and convenience stores, with the slips sent on to retailers from the wholesaler. Some wholesalers also create their own brands, which they then sell to retailers. There are around five chains in Osaka specializing in cheap sweets. Foreign companies with operations in Japan, such as France's Carrefour, buy directly from the manufacturer.
- Companies take out product liability insurance together through their associations. Sometimes there arise product liability claims due to the eggs in cream puffs going off or insects being found.
- The decline in consumption appears to have bottomed out, and is unlikely to fall further. A succession of new products is being launched, though there have recently been few hit products that have lasted long. In the future, demand for "healthy" confectionery is continuing to grow. Although imports currently account for only 1.5% of the market, this figure is expected to rise, with imports from China expected to grow particularly strongly.
(Produced with the cooperation of The Confectionery Foods Shimbun.)
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