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China's love affair with the Oreo is crumbling.
中国人对奥利奥(Oreo)的锺爱之情正逐渐减弱。
Mondelez International Inc., the maker of Oreo cookies, Cadbury chocolates and Ritz crackers, announced Wednesday that its revenue was down in the fourth quarter and for the full year in part because China's appetite for the crème-filled sandwich cookie fell. Distributors had excess biscuit inventory, Mondelez reported.
奥利奥曲奇、吉百利(Cadbury)巧克力和乐之(Ritz)饼干的生产商亿滋国际(Mondelez International Inc., MDLZ)周三公布，第四财政季度及整个财政年度的收入都有所下滑，部分原因是中国人对奥利奥夹心饼干的偏好下降。亿滋国际报告说，分销商的饼干库存过剩。
Oreo has been one of the country's most popular cookie brands since it launched in China in 1996, with Mondelez holding the largest market share in China's biscuit segment at 16%, according to market-research firm Euromonitor International. Cookie sales in China have more than tripled from 2003 to 50.4 billion yuan, or roughly $8.3 billion, last year.
奥利奥于1996年进入中国市场，它已经发展成为中国最受欢迎的饼干品牌之一。据市场研究机构欧睿国际(Euromonitor International)的数据，亿滋国际在中国饼干市场的占有率最高，达到16%。2013年中国的曲奇饼干销售额较2003年增长了两倍多，达到人民币504亿元（约合83亿美元）。
But industry watchers say China is one tough cookie, and Mondelez is facing bigger obstacles to growth here.
但业内观察人士说，中国是一块硬骨头，亿滋国际要想在中国实现进一步增长会面临更大阻力。
Consumers in the world's most populous country are curious and willing to try out new things, but that means as more brands enter the market, there are more snacks to distract them from Oreos, said Ben Cavender, a senior analyst at consultancy China Market Research in Shanghai.
总部设在上海的咨询公司China Market Research高级分析师凯文德(Ben Cavender)说，中国这一世界人口最多国家的消费者很好奇且愿意尝试新事物，但这意味着，随着更多品牌进入中国市场，更多零食出现，会分散消费者对奥利奥的兴趣。
Mr. Cavender said most companies are finding that Chinese consumers bore easily, so it's key for food makers to innovate and introduce new brands. 'You have to keep the market constantly hooked,' he said, noting that changing the packaging often isn't enough.
凯文德称，大多数企业都发现，中国消费者很容易对某种商品产生厌倦，因此对食品生产企业来说，创新和推出新品牌很重要。他还表示，企业必须确保市场上不断有能够吸引消费者的产品出现，只改变包装通常是不够的。
Mondelez has been broadening its distribution channels, expanding deeper into China's biggest cities and working with well-known figures such as former basketball star Yao Ming to promote its brands. The company has also been innovating, stocking store shelves with mini-Oreos, Ritz crackers and Chips Ahoy cookies in portable cuplike packages that resemble ramen-noodle containers. There are also more flavors in China than ever before, including green tea and birthday confetti.
亿滋国际一直在拓展其分销渠道，不断向中国大城市深入扩张，并与中国前篮球明星姚明等知名人士合作，以期提高品牌知名度。此外，该公司也一直在创新，货架上到处可见杯状便携包装的迷你奥利奥、乐之饼干和趣多多饼干。这种包装与桶装方便面类似。而且中国市场上的口味也比以前多，包括绿茶和生日糖果等。
Consumers like Zhou Mengmeng, who says she's stopped buying Oreos because she doesn't think they're healthy, pose another problem. Ms. Zhou, a petite 24-year-old from central Henan province, said Chinese people who ate a lot of packaged food several years ago have stopped. 'We just didn't know they weren't that good for you,' Ms. Zhou said, noting that she's since switched to eating more fruit.
周萌萌（音）说，她已不再买奥利奥了，因为觉得不健康。像她这样的消费者构成了另一项挑战。这个24岁的来自河南省的娇小女生说，中国人几年前吃了很多包装食品，现在已经不吃了。她说，我们以前不知道那些东西对人那么不好。自从知道以后她就吃水果比较多了。
Mondelez executives have said they are aware that Chinese consumers are becoming more health-conscious. To address that concern, the company developed a cracker line, Pacific, with flavors such as sesame and red date are typically associated with health and traditional Chinese medicine.
亿滋国际的高管说，他们意识到中国消费者开始更加注重健康。为解决这一问题，该公司开发出了Pacific饼干条，有芝麻和枣泥等口味，这两种食品一般都被认为是健康、传统的中国食品。
Some other international biscuit makers are gaining ground in China, such as Korea's Orion Confectionery Co., which sells Choco Boy mushroom-shaped biscuits and the Choco Pie sandwich snacks, and Japan's Ezaki Glico Co., maker of the Pocky multi-flavored chocolate-coated pretzel sticks. Orion boosted its share of the fragmented market to 2.8% last year, up from 1.3% in 2008, according to Euromonitor. Ezaki's market share rose to 2.6% from 1.7% in the same period, according to Euromonitor.
其它一些国际饼干生产商正在中国站稳脚跟，如出售蘑菇状饼干Choco Boy和三明治快餐Choco Pie的韩国企业Orion Confectionery Co.，以及生产多种口味巧克力棒百奇(Pocky)的日本企业Ezaki Glico Co.。欧睿国际统计，Orion在这个零散市场的占有率从2008年1.3%增至去年的2.8%，同期Ezaki的市场占有率从1.7%增至2.6%。
Mondelez reported a profit of $1.77 billion, or $1 a share, in the fourth quarter, up from $569 million, or 32 cents a share, a year earlier. The company has said it is investing in emerging markets like Brazil and China, as well as restructuring to improve cost structure.
亿滋国际公布，第四财季实现利润17.7亿美元，合每股收益1美元，上年同期利润为5.69亿美元，合每股收益32美分。该公司表示，将投资巴西和中国等新兴市场，并进行重组以改善成本结构。
