Suntory reacts as CEO quits amid drug investigation
The shocking resignation of Japanese food and beverage giant Suntory’s CEO has sent shockwaves through the industry
Takeshi Niinami, the Chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings (Suntory), one of Japan’s oldest and most well-known food and beverage brands, has resigned amid an ongoing investigation into illegal drug purchases.
According to a formal statement from Suntory, Niinami had informed the company about a police investigation into the drug misconduct last month, and had offered his resignation over ‘personal reasons’, which was accepted on September 1.
“Suntory has recognised this to be an extremely serious matter from a governance perspective,” Suntory president Nobuhiro Torii stated at an emergency news conference held after the resignation was made public.
Chinese food brands localising products to crack South East Asia
Chinese food brands are making inroads into South East Asia by localising innovation to compete with entrenched global players
Dairy and snacks present major growth opportunities, but Chinese brands must localise to compete with dominant incumbents.
“Chinese brands remain significantly underrepresented across several consumer sectors in South East Asia, highlighting substantial untapped potential for market disruption,” said Emil Fazira, APAC Insight Manager for Food at data analytics firm Euromonitor International.
Meiji: Protein intake trumps exercise to build muscle gains
Meiji has urged consumers to focus on protein consumption over exercise for muscle growth and maintenance, across all groups from seniors to athletes
According to research data revealed by Japanese dairy giant Meiji, the majority of consumers today are not consuming enough protein despite looking to improve their muscle mass.
“Previous research has shown that a combination of protein consumption and resistance training will lead to the building of muscle mass, but we wanted to determine whether this resistance training is truly necessary in building muscle,” Meiji Nutrition Development Research Unit Manager Atsushi Kanda said.
“Based on analysis conducted by Meiji, we found that muscle resistance training is not always necessary – the consumption of protein alone without any exercise can lead to significant muscle mass increase when protein intake reaches 1.3g per kg of body weight.”
Planet, people, nutrition: Samyang’s three-pronged sustainability drive
Samyang Foods is ramping up its eco-friendly product development and nutrition-focused offerings as part of a broader sustainability strategy
Korea’s pioneering instant noodle brand Samyang Foods has reduced the carbon footprint of its Buldak Ramen with new rooftop solar power system at its Miryang production complex – a central hub for Samyang’s global exports.
There are more than 1,100 solar photovoltaic (PV) modules across the Miryang complex. The system is now generating over 986MWh of clean electricity annually, covering approximately 7% of the site’s total power demand and avoiding an estimated 453 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.
This marks a major step in Samyang’s roadmap to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
South Korean ice cream exports to North America surge
South Korean ice cream exports are rising fast, rivalling ramyeon as a top food export driven by strong demand and popularity in the North American market
The East Asian nation’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) recently published its biannual report detailing K-Food (Korean agrifood products) exports in the past six months.
“Exports of agri-food products (K-Food) reached a record high of US$5.16bn, up by 8.4% from the same period a year ago – The top export market was North America at US$1.03bn in value, which also showed a 24.3% growth year-on-year,” MAFRA Minister Song Miryung said.
