Pesticide residues dominate China’s latest food safety findings
China’s market supervision authority State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recently published its half-yearly food safety report on various commonly consumed food products in the market.
This half-yearly report covered the first half of 2025, and involved the authorities conducting checks on over 2.6 million products in the market.
Of these 2.6 million checks, 2.61% were found to have failed food safety inspections – which may seem like a small percentage but unfortunately also equates to almost 68,000 unsafe items detected on the market, suggesting even more such items that were not detected.
China ginseng major launches trendy products to attract Gen Z consumers
Herbal Player is a subsidiary of one China’s largest Canadian ginseng importer Yier Healthcare, which imports a total of 800 tons yearly out of China’s annual Canadian ginseng imports totalling 1,400 tons.
The firm formerly focused on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), herbal remedies and pharmaceuticals, but is now moving into functional food and beverage products in tandem with the Chinese government’s‘药食同源 (Food as Medicine)’national campaign.
Master Kong sesame business targets SEA market amid China challenges
Despite high supply and intense local competition, Master Kong subsidiary Tingzhi Foodstuff plans to expand internationally, targeting regions with large Chinese populations.
The firm is China’s top-selling B2B sesame oil brand and ranks second overall in both B2B and B2C markets. Its strategy emphasises flexible, culturally relevant innovation to meet evolving consumer preferences in and beyond China.
Yili H1 financials buoyed by ice cream, milk powder amid profit pressure
Yili has posted resilient H1 results as ice cream and milk powder sales drive growth, cushioning impact from broader dairy sector headwinds.
The firm recently announced its H1FY2025 financial results, reporting 3.4% year-on-year growth in revenue to RMB61.9bn (US$) and 7.1% gross profit growth to RMB22.1bn (US$).
The dual positive results for both revenue and profits are somewhat rare in this year’s economic environment, where many companies have generally posted negative H1 performances in either area, e.g. Carlsberg Malaysia’s -3.0% drop in profits and Yili competitor Mengniu’s -6.9% drop in revenue.
Hennessy x Jackson Wang collab showcases cognac’s versatility in Asia
Hennessy is mixing V.S.O.P. and X.O. with oolong tea and sparkling water for a Mid-Autumn Festival launch with superstar Jackson Wang.
The heritage brand aims to bridge East and West as well as old and new to broaden cognac’s reach in Asia with this latest promotion.
This 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival limited edition collection was created in collaboration with cognac enthusiast and Hennessy’s global brand ambassador Jackson Wang – member of the K-pop group GOT7, known for his international music career and influence in pop culture.