South East Asia

18-May-2012 - In a first, a Thai food major is taking its operations across the Indian Ocean to Africa, hoping to capitalise both on available resources and rising consumption in the region.

Vietnam seafood export control talks stalled

07-May-2012 - Vietnamese seafood companies have failed to convince authorities to drop testing fees they deem ‘unreasonable’ and inequitable with import requirements.

US algae firm will upscale and enter Southeast Asia with Indonesian investment

07-May-2012 - A US$15m strategic investment from Indonesian agribusiness group, Salim, will increase research and production capabilities and open new market doors for US algae technology firm Heliae.

Fonterra goes 'local' in Indonesia for swift market response

18-Apr-2012 - Fonterra will invest in a blending and packing facility in Indonesia to bolster its local presence and ensure swift response to market demands across the country’s dairy nutrition sector.

South Korea opens its ‘huge’ doors to Philippine poultry

17-Apr-2012 - South Korea has opened its market doors to the Philippines' poultry sector, marking a vast opportunity for Filipino manufacturers, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Fenchem’s fish collagen targets Southeast Asia’s health market

16-Apr-2012 - Fenchem has launched its hydrolyzed fish collagen in the Southeast Asian market, to target the growing demand for health drinks and supplements in the region.

Malaysian Islamic authority to monitor halal imports from China

27-Mar-2012 - Authorities in the Malaysian state of Sarawak have said that they will increase the monitoring of halal canned food products imported from China in the light of a recent scare.

Nestlé invests S$5.5m to drive product development in Singapore

20-Mar-2012 - Nestlé will invest S$5.5m in its Singapore R&D centre to expand activities in development of products such as coffee mixes and malted beverages for both the Asian and global markets.

Bird’s nest exports still not back on track

19-Mar-2012 - Malaysia’s efforts to get its lucrative business of edible bird’s nests exports to China back on track has hit a roadblock as very few of the manufacturers registering under the new norms.

Southeast Asia’s fish industry at tipping point, says top official

15-Mar-2012 - Fish in Southeast Asia are at the risk of disease outbreaks, thanks to the use of chemicals and antibiotics a that could collapse an entire industry, a top sector official said today in the Philippines.

Thailand: The new ‘frontier’ of CSPO production

13-Mar-2012 - Malaysia and Indonesia are renowned as strong production players in the certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) market but Thailand is emerging as the new frontier in Asia Pacific, according to the secretary general of RSPO.

Malaysia shines safety light on glow-in-the dark lollipops

12-Mar-2012 - Malaysia has sounded an alert for glow-in-the dark lollipops after complaints that these products contained toxic chemicals that could cause cancer, were reported in the local media.

Friesland Campina makes significant Filipino M&A move to reach 100m consumers

12-Mar-2012 - Royal Friesland Campina is poised to complete the takeover of Filipino firm Alaska Milk Corporation (AMC) for total sum of around €350m, in a move it said gave it access to 100m consumers in a ‘high growth’ market and the opportunity to 'valorise member milk' in certain product categories.

Japan's Takasago focused on Asia's fastest-growing flavour market, India

08-Mar-2012 - Following a US$32m investment in Singapore, Japanese flavour giant Takasago International has turned its attention to India and has invested a further US$10m to build a flavour and fragrance manufacturing and R&D facility in the South of the country.

Silver Bird suspends three execs and defaults on repayments

05-Mar-2012 - Malaysian bakery and confectionery firm Silver Bird Group Berhad has announced the suspension of three top officials as it defaults on loan repayments.

WFP backs Cambodian and Bangladeshi fortified rice programmes

23-Feb-2012 - The World Food Programme (WFP) operates on many fronts, with many initiatives, but it’s core remains the same – to better the nutritional inputs of the world’s neediest people. Significant advances in fortified rice technology are set to see those goals made real in Cambodia and Bangladesh.

Frutarom’s savoury sway for China and SE Asia

14-Feb-2012 - A new manufacturing facility in Shanghai will enable flavour manufacturer Frutarom to tap into the vast opportunities in the savoury application sector in China and Southeast Asia.