Healthier Choices: Beverage sugar reduction, bird's nest sachets, vegan white chocolate and more feature in our round-up

More health, less sugar: Coca-Cola, Dole and Frucor Suntory on the beverage trends driving APAC growth​

Consumers in the Asia Pacific region are placing increasing importance on healthier processing methods as well as sugar reduction when it comes to making non-alcoholic beverage purchases, according to experts from a raft of big name brands.

In this edition of the FNA Deep Dive, we take a closer look at the non-alcoholic beverages sector and see how consumer awareness of not just reduced sugar content, but also healthier processing methods and more sustainable production supply chains are playing an important role in influencing consumer choices and thus beverage firm innovation in the region.

Innovation in tradition: Singapore bird’s nest firm introduces sachet form to capture millennials, Gen-Zs​

A Singapore bird’s nest pioneer is experimenting with a new format and production techniques to make the traditional Asian health product relevant to younger consumers.

The Asia Bird’s Nest Corporation has launched Wellnest, a ready-to-drink lifestyle superfood formulated with bird’s nest extract, six-year-old Red Korean ginseng and Aronia berry.

Various research on bird's nest show that it can provide various benefits, such as enhancing the body’s immune system and aid digestion.

Milk-free chocolate: India’s CARRA launches rare plant-based white bar to ‘plug the gaps’​

Indian plant-based chocolate firm CARRA has launched its first dairy-free white chocolate bar, aiming to ‘plug the gaps’ in its portfolio to appeal to a wider consumer base.

Although plant-based chocolates have been around in India for some time, the vast majority of these are dark or milk chocolates due to these being easier to match in terms of appearance and taste when the dairy component is removed.

“There are very few white chocolate bars that do not contain milk and dairy in the Indian market as it is not easy to attain the required colour or milky mouthfeel to match just by using plant-based ingredients,”​ CARRA CEO Komal Khosla told FoodNavigator-Asia​.

Functional drinks with low calorie count trending in Thailand – QminC​

Thailand health beverage brand QminC is seeing a trend towards drinks with a low-calorie count and increased functionalities.

This has also impacted how the brand is developing its new products.

“As consumers are now more knowledgeable, well-informed, and educated with easily accessible knowledge on nutrition, we see a continuous trend in functional drinks with low in calories and more functionalities to grow rapidly in the years to come.​

“This is not just in Thailand but also for the whole South East Asia region, which is also spreading across the globe,”​ said president of Tera food and Beverage, Thanthit Yuenyongtechahiran.

Ready to roar: Malaysia’s tiger milk mushroom maker targets overseas growth amid domestic popularity​

Malaysian Tiger milk mushroom supplier Nexus Wise is eyeing overseas growth amid local success for the ingredient traditionally used for cold, flu, and immunity.

In Malaysia, tiger milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerus​) has been used as a traditional herbal remedy for immune and respiratory health, especially in the case of chronic cough and sinusitis.