Food Industry and Consumer Trend in 4 Southeastern Countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Philippines)

As companies strive to grow, there has been an increase in the number of companies expanding overseas. We surveyed the attention-gaining four ASEAN countries on the food industry.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced that the export of agricultural products reaching a record high of 1.5 trillion yen in 2024, due to the popularity of Japanese food. Faced with an aging society with fewer children and a shrinking population domestically, food-related companies are looking to overseas markets for growth as the next step. The government is supporting this move.
As Southeast Asian countries enjoy swelling populations and expanding middle-income groups, companies expect sales from rising purchasing power. Easier distribution and similar food preferences of Japanese people due to being in the same Asian region compared to the United States and European countries are the reasons for looking at Southeast Asian countries as a promising market.
The research has focused on Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as noteworthy among Southeast Asian countries and compiled into a report on food-related industries. For Vietnam, we conducted a local consumer survey to learn about the daily diet and the touch point of Japanese brands.

I     Status of Four ASEAN Countries Analyzed by Each of Economic Indicators

II    Trend in Food Industry in Four ASEAN Countries

1. Thailand
   1) Basic Information
   2) Development of Food Manufacturing Industry in Thailand
   3) Food Retailer Trends

• Overview of domestic production
• Trend of major product categories (processed food)
• Dairy products
• Flour/Noodles
• Confectionery/Sugar
• Condiments
• Beverages/Alcoholic Beverages

2. Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
   1) Basic Information
   2) Development of Food Manufacturing Industry in Vietnam

• Overview of domestic production
• Trend of food export and import
• Topics in Food Industry in Vietnam
• Trend of major product categories (processed food)
• Dairy products
• Flour/Noodles
• Confectionery products
• Condiments
• Beverages/Alcoholic Beverages

3) Food Retailer Trends
4) Vietnamese Meals Consumer Survey

• Number of family members
• Family structure
• Annual household income
• Monthly food expenditure (per household)
• Usual diet form
• Frequency of eating out
• Place of eating out frequently
• Frequency of buying prepared foods or deli
• Place to buy prepared foods or deli
• Staple food of usual meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner)
• What to place importance in common meals
• Main sources of protein in the meal
• Frequency of food purchases (fresh/processed)
• Place of food purchase (fresh/processed)
• Supermarket/Convenience store chains you usually use for food purchases
• Genre of food you like
• Status of buying Japanese brand food
• How you learnt about the Japanese brand
• What made you buy the Japanese brand
• Image of Washoku or Japanese food brands
• Future intention to purchase Japanese food brands

3. Republic of Indonesia
   1) Basic Information
   2) Development of Food Manufacturing Industry in Indonesia

• Overview of domestic production
• Trend of eating out
• Trend of food export and import
• Recent food trends in Indonesia
• Trend of major product categories (processed food)
• Dairy products
• Flour/Noodles
• Confectionery products
• Condiments
• Beverages/Alcoholic Beverages

3) Food Retailer Trends

4. Republic of the Philippines
   1) Basic Information
   2) Development of Food Manufacturing Industry in Indonesia

• Overview of domestic production
• Trend of eating out
• Trend of food import
• Recent food trends in the Philippines
• Trend of major product categories (processed food)
• Dairy products
• Flour/Noodles
• Confectionery products
• Condiments
• Beverages/Alcoholic Beverages

3) Food Retailer Trends