SIAL in China found that in the casual food market, spicy strip, as a kind with a unique taste, has always been loved by consumers.Since the introduction of the national standard for spicy strip in 2019, consumers have more requirements than health and safety. They are also pursuing innovative elements of spicy noodles products, among which, innovation in new forms of spicy noodle products and innovation in texture and flavor are two important aspects.

Innovative taste and flavor is the key to attract new customers in the spicy strip industry, Although the spicy strip has a wide range of recognition and acceptance in the market, as consumers have changing tastes, companies are also constantly exploring new tastes to meet market demand.

SIAL in China visited a number of superstores and learned that most companies tend to choose new raw materials and create new processing technology as ways of innovation. They constantly introduce different flavors of the spicy strip products. For example, the Yufeng Food’s "King Strip" chili products use flour as raw materials instead of chili beans and gluten that conventional production uses, to create a new taste of chili products; Weilong brand "Panda chili" divided the spicy taste into mild numbing and extra numbing. Some companies also try to add fruits, vegetables, nuts and other elements in the spicy strips, to enrich the taste and nutritional value of the product.

According to the "2023 China Spicy Food Industry Innovation and Consumer Demand Insight Report" released by AiMedia Consulting, China's spicy food market reached 51.7 billion yuan in 2022, and it is expected to reach 92.7 billion yuan in 2026, which indicates that the spicy food market has great potential and development space. Against this background, innovation in the chili bar industry is particularly important. Enterprises can not only attract more new customers, but also improve the added value of products and market competitiveness through product form innovation and taste innovation.

Zhu Keli, executive director of the China Information Association and founding president of the National Research Institute of New Economy, said that in recent years, with the continuous improvement of national standards and production norms, the chili strip market is experiencing an unprecedented wave of innovation. Major manufacturers have been working on the innovation of the chili products, and thus a series of new products emerged such as instant mixing spice strip and new spice strip made of flour. These innovative products not only injected new vitality into the market, but also brought unprecedented taste buds experience to consumers. These innovations show that in the competitive market environment, businessmen pay more attention to product innovation. Only continuous innovation can help companies stand out in the fierce competition in the market and win the favor of consumers. At the same time, the endless stream of innovative products also reflects the growth of consumer demand for diversified and personalized products. They are no longer satisfied with the traditional taste and form of spicy noodles, but are in pursuit of a fresher, more interesting experience.

In addition, SIAL in China believes that in the current environment of the chili bar market, product innovation has become one of the most important bases for consumers to choose products. Consumers will not only consider the flavor and quality when choosing a chili bar product, but also pay attention to its innovation and uniqueness. A product with innovative elements is often more appealing to consumers and stimulates the desire to buy. The phenomenon of product innovation in the chili bar market is an inevitable trend of market development and a reflection of the diversification of consumer demand. Producers need to follow the market trend and innovate continuously to meet consumer demand and win market share.