China tightens transport controls on edible oils, alcohol and syrups
Food and beverage firms with China dealings face tougher transport compliance rules for alcohol, edible oils and syrups starting this year
Back in July 2024, China was faced with a major national PR disaster following a media campaign highlighting the unsafe transportation of edible oils, which revealed food safety issues such as poor enforcement despite transporters lacking permits and lenient penalties issued even when regulations were violated.
This prompted the government to kick off an in-depth study into food safety practices and standards required to safely transport liquid foods such as oil and alcohol, culminating in a new set of regulations that was recently announced by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR).
The Big One: Cyberattack that could cripple food and drink
Cyberattacks are closing in on the food and drink sector, and the next one could be catastrophic. Is the industry ready for The Big One?
Cyberattacks against the food and beverage industry are intensifying, leaving suppliers, manufacturers and retailers scrambling to keep up.
Over the past decade, criminals have unleashed a wave of assaults – shuttering plants, disrupting logistics, emptying shelves, and crippling online commerce.
APAC e-commerce: Misleading claims, risks and opportunities
APAC’s booming e-commerce scene offers growth, but brands need to grapple with misleading claims and navigate grey areas in e-commerce
Regulators in APAC are stepping up scrutiny of e-commerce product claims for food and nutraceutical products, a shift that presents both risks and opportunities for brands.
While exaggerated ads remain common on platforms like TikTok, experts warn that copying such tactics could backfire as oversight tightens.
“Cross-border e-commerce has been a growth channel for us, especially in Korea and China. We note that regulators are increasingly scrutinising product claims and ingredient safety in these markets,” said Liza Tan, Glanbia’s Regional Regulatory Affairs Lead for Asia.
Tetra Pak urges rapid food innovation to ease supply chain strain
With food supply chains under strain and consumer demands intensifying worldwide, Tetra Pak calls for faster innovation to keep companies competitive
Speed was clearly the name of the game in Tetra Pak’s most recent facility launch, its new Product Development Centre (PDC) in Rayong, Thailand.
The twelfth in a series of such facilities globally — previous launches covering Brazil, the United States, Europe, Dubai and several more in Asia — this one has placed far more emphasis on accelerated innovation, scale-up and commercialisation than any other before it.
“The key we are looking for here is for innovation to be practical, not imagined, and this means ensuring products are able to be tested, validated and ready to scale in as short a time as possible,” Tetra Pak VP Marketing Julia Luscher told us at the PDC launch event.
Iran at war: What food and beverage needs to know
Israel and US attacks on Iran have long-lasting implications for global food and drink industries. Here’s the latest
On 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States launched surprise airstrikes on Iran. What began as a short, sharp attempt to dismantle Iran’s government quickly escalated into a much broader conflict, engulfing much of the Middle East and sending ripple effects far beyond the region.
For food and beverage, the consequences are already being felt across the supply chain. Rising oil and gas prices are pushing up production costs, pressure on petrochemical supplies is threatening plastic packaging, key imports and exports face disruption, and fertiliser inputs essential to growing food ingredients are also at risk.
