Analysis of the Development Prospects and Future Trends of China's Soft Candy Industry


Published Time:

2025-06-11

China's soft candy industry will remain highly profitable in the next 10-15 years. This is because the Chinese market still needs a large number of domestic soft candy brands to fill the gap. However, the soft candy industry will also face fierce competition in the next 10 years. Therefore, Chinese soft candy manufacturers should pay more attention to market segmentation, understand consumer needs, and greatly innovate in the future. Only in this way can they occupy a favorable position in the soft candy industry.

China's soft candy industry will continue to be lucrative in the next 10-15 years. This is because the Chinese market still needs a large number of domestic soft candy brands to fill the gap. However, the soft candy industry will also face fierce competition in the next 10 years. Therefore, Chinese soft candy manufacturers should pay more attention to market segmentation, understand consumer needs, and greatly innovate in the future. Only in this way can they occupy a favorable position in the soft candy industry.

With the continuous increase in the total demand for candy in China, competition among manufacturers is becoming increasingly fierce. Many candy manufacturers choose to use synthetic pigments to ensure that candies have a more vibrant appearance, stimulating consumer purchases.

Under the new wave of consumption, every sub-category contains unlimited possibilities. The needs of the new generation of young users for quality of life and nutritional health determine the underestimated hard-core strength and explosive potential hidden under the "soft appearance" of nutritional soft candies.

In 2016, China's candy production was 3.5185 million tons, an increase of 1.85%, only 63,800 tons more than the previous year. Production decreased for two consecutive years in 2017-2018, reaching 2.8837 million tons in 2018, a year-on-year decrease of 12.99% compared to 2017. In 2019, production was approximately 3.3772 million tons.

Although the output of China's candy industry has shown a fluctuating trend in recent years, especially a significant change in 2018, it has generally shown a slight upward trend. From 2017 to 2020, the compound annual growth rate of soft candy production was approximately 0.93%. It is expected that in the next few years, with the increase in demand for soft candy products and the updating and maturity of production technology, production will continue to grow, exceeding 498,400 tons by 2025.