By CHENG Lu
Hema Fresh, Alibaba's groceries and fresh food arm, has a new line of seafood "Freshippo Baoxian" providing ready, or almost ready, dishes.
The lineup includes whole fish such as carp, tilapia and perch, with fillets and slices for hotpot coming soon. The move comes in response to increasing demand for ready-to-heat seafood.
In Japan, Europe and Australia, high-quality ready meals are ubiquitous in supermarkets. Hema Fresh found that 86 percent of its customers in China wanted their seafood to be prepared for them. They also want it fresh and guaranteed safe. Hema Fresh ensures fish are delivered to the warehouse at night and arrive in stores early the following day.
Despite the rapid growth in the ready-meal market, expected to double in the coming three years, most fish offerings still focus on popular dishes like boiled fish with Sichuan pickles or spicy crawfish. Young consumers seek more choices.
Hema Fresh's ready-meal alliance of agricultural companies and scientists will develop technologies to expand the ready-meal market with a broader range of options.
