Brand New: GOOD Meat, Danone, Meat Avatar and more APAC brands feature in our round-up

World first: Singapore gives GOOD Meat approval to to commercialise serum-free media for cultivated meat​

Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has granted a world-first regulatory approval to GOOD Meat for the use of serum-free media in the production of cultivated meat.

The firm says this technical and regulatory milestone will lead to production efficiencies through greater scalability, lower manufacturing costs and a more sustainable product.

It also paves the way for the production of larger quantities cultivated chicken made from cells instead of slaughtered animals.

GOOD Meat obtained approval from SFA for its first chicken product in November 2020 and a subsequent approval for new formats in November 2021.

Danone to cut methane by 30% by 2030 through regenerative farming, feed innovation​

The French dairy giant has become the world’s first food company to make a methane-specific climate pledge - but questions remain around how this ambition could be realized.

According to the International Energy Agency, agriculture was the chief source of methane emissions caused by human activity in 2021. The majority of those emissions come from enteric fermentation, where ruminants, including dairy cows, produce methane during digestion.

Keep it simple: Why minimal processing is key to winning over Asian plant-based consumers​

Minimal processing and healthier formulation is key to achieving plant-based success in Asia, where health drivers trump sustainability concerns, according to a Thai brand that is blazing a trail in the category.

Despite its accelerated growth in the Asia Pacific region over the past few years, the plant-based sector still faces the challenge of consumer misconceptions regarding its ingredients, processing methods and nutritional content. Many plant-based meat producers today have opted to focus on delivering a minimally processed, low-salt, high-nutritional value messaging when it comes to marketing their products.

“Until today, even in a market where plant-based is growing quickly like Thailand, it is a common misconception for many consumers in Asia that plant-based meat products automatically equal to ultraprocessed food products,”​ plant-based meat brand Meat Avatar Co-Founder Wiphu Loetsuraphibun told FoodNavigator-Asia​.

Kirin’s first HMOs facility goes live in Thailand, foresees China to occupy half of market size​

Kirin’s first human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) production plant has commenced operation and the company anticipates that half of the market will be dominated by China in the future.

The production plant, located at the Rayong Province, Thailand, started operating in November and is able to produce 300 metric tonnes of HMOs per year.

It will focus on producing three HMOs, namely 2’-fucosyllactose (2’FL), 3’-sialyllactose (3’-SL), and 6’-sialyllactose (6’-SL).

‘China-centric approach’: Melrose CEO outlines new distribution and product strategies for key market​

Australia health foods company Melrose Health Group is aiming for bigger gains in China with a fresh market strategy and new product pipeline.

The firm already has sales in China with its Melrose Health brand as well as Nu-Lax – one of the bestselling gut and fibre products in the country.

CEO Nathan Cheong, who took the helm last September, outlined his plans to grow the firm’s presence in China market. For one, the company would be revamping the way it distributes its products.