Weigao Daily - The Mystery of Amino Acids

Lysine: At present, the quotations from domestic manufacturers remain stable. The quotation for 98.5% lysine is CNY 10.5-11.0 yuan/kg, and that for 70% lysine is CNY 5.0-5.3/kg. However, the actual number of signed orders is relatively low. Quotations in the trading market are stable, but both purchasing and selling are not active, and terminal users show little enthusiasm for restocking.

(Source: Weigao Daily)

The price of cocoa continues to rise, and "alternative" & "cell-based" chocolates may become the future trend.

As the main ingredient of chocolate, the price of cocoa has been soaring. Affected by this, the price of chocolate has also increased significantly. As a result, some cocoa substitute products and cell-cultured cocoa are entering the chocolate market. Compared with cocoa substitutes, the products directly cultured from cocoa cells can achieve exactly the same flavor as cocoa, so they are more favored by candy manufacturers. It can be foreseen that cocoa substitutes will continue to draw attention and develop at an ever-faster pace. However, integrating into the consumer market has always been a complicated process.

(Source: FTA)

The last store of Wahaha Milk Tea in Shenzhen is about to close.

"The last store of Wahaha Milk Tea in Shenzhen is about to close, and the brand will withdraw from the entire Guangdong market." In the past few days, the news of the closure of Wahaha Milk Tea stores has been widely spread.

Yesterday (December 26th), RedCatering (a food and beverage industry media) contacted the Wahaha Milk Tea (Longgang, Bantian store). The store owner, Huang Jun (a pseudonym), introduced that this is a franchised store. Due to continuous losses for nearly two years, coupled with the fact that Wahaha Company no longer promotes its tea beverage business and other multiple factors, it has been decided to close the store.

"I will hold on until March 2025 at the latest. Even if I can't transfer it, I'll have to close it," Huang Jun said.

Once this store closes, it means that there will be no Wahaha Milk Tea stores left in the Guangdong market.

(Source: RedCatering)

Century Eggs were sold out upon their first appearance on Costco shelves in the US? Consumers are not just Chinese.

Costco, a warehouse club with 617 stores across the United States and the second-largest offline retailer in terms of retail sales volume in the country, has recently added century eggs to its product lineup (SKU) in the US.

In early December, from the states on the West Coast like Washington, California, and Oregon to New York on the East Coast, century eggs, this "renowned Chinese delicacy", successively made their way onto the shelves of Costco in the US.

Once you enter a Costco store, you can find the display of century eggs in a prominent position near the entrance. The century eggs on the shelves this time are pine-patterned duck eggs, neatly packaged in a beautiful box with 20 eggs per box, priced at between $13.99 and $14.99.

Although century eggs are extremely popular among Chinese people, due to differences in food culture, they are considered the "ultimate dark cuisine" in the eyes of foreigners. As a mainstream retail channel in the US, will Costco be able to sell these century eggs?

Surprisingly, the century eggs on Costco's shelves were snapped up.

(Source: FoodTalks)

The US Updates the "Healthy" Nutrition Content Claims on Food Labels

On December 19, 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the "Healthy" nutrition content claims. If products meet the updated standards, manufacturers/producers can voluntarily use this claim on food packaging. If a food product wants to be labeled with the "Healthy" claim, it needs to meet the following conditions: 1. Contain a certain amount of food (food group equivalents), at least from one of the food groups or subgroups (such as fruits, vegetables, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, etc.) recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans;

2. Comply with the limit standards for specific nutrients such as saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

(Source: Functional Food Circle)