The upcycling of food waste to make new products from staple foods to snacks is emerging as an increasingly popular strategy among food firms in the Asia Pacific region to maximise the potential of production processes.
Singapore mint specialist firm Haldy recently hit the market with its turmeric-based, Ayurvedic-inspired mints, which it believes has the potential to appeal to both younger and older consumers alike.
Indian spice supplier Mane Kancor says it new facility in Byadgi will help meet growing global demand for chili extracts, as well as doubling down on its sustainability agenda.
Japan recently inked several new food trade agreements with the governments of Bangladesh and Canada as it seeks to improve food security in the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
China-based cultivated meat firm Jimi Biotech foresees that it will take a few more years before the alternative protein obtains regulatory approval in the country, although it is optimistic about investor interest and consumer acceptance.
The Asia Pacfic region has a number of ‘peculiarities’ that make it more vulnerable to food supply and climate change risks than many other regions, meaning that quicker and more multiplicity in food solutions are needed, according to the UNFAO.
The supplementation of collagen peptide has shown to reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness and fatigue in middle-aged men, making it a potential sports nutrition candidate, said researchers from Japan.
Coconut specialist Thai Coconut is expanding its horizons beyond its traditional milk and coconut water strongholds to enter the alternative protein sector, including with plant-based calamari.
Innovators in the South East Asia ag-tech space need to devote as much time and resources into building trust among smallholder farmers as they do on developing their products, if climate-smart practices are to be more widely adopted.
The China plant-based sector has lost ‘some of its hype’ and is far from a ‘quick win’, claims one of the category’s pioneers in the country, which has recently announced a significant new distribution deal.
New Zealand’s consumer watchdog has published data showing that 80% of those surveyed had taken a supplement in the last year, but doubts over the regulatory regime and its future persist among industry and consumers.
Food and beverage brands with a stake in the travel retail space need to increase efforts to create novel retail experiences because cautious Chinese consumers are no longer as keen on sampling and tasting products.
Delhi-based Rage Coffee has embarked on a ‘keep it simple’ strategy for its first RTD coffee launch as it seeks to tempt Indian consumers to the category and away from tea.
Singapore beer giant Tiger’s latest product innovation is driven by Korean culture, and aims to appeal to young consumers seeking progressive flavours and easy-to-drink options.
3D printed cultivated meat firm Steakholder Foods is targeting cost parity with conventional products by 2028, while also exploring new partnerships to boost its 3D printing capabilities, which it hopes to fully commercialise next year.
Joint research by Kirin Holdings and Nagasaki University has found that Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (LC-Plasma) could hasten recovery of smell and taste dysfunction caused by COVID-19, which will further drive R&D in the postbiotic’s use in pharmaceutical...
Philippines R&D foods guidelines, Singapore's Nutri-Grade analysis, Indonesia's food safety standards and more feature in this edition of Policy Picks.
Singapore-based Confetti Snacks’ fruitful venture in the US has given the firm a better understanding of differing consumer demands in the East and West, as well as a boost for its APAC expansion ambitions.
Healthy snack brand SnackRight is seeking to withstand wider economic uncertainties by focusing on product improvement and shelf-life extension, in order to increase its sales channels.
Sapporo Breweries and IBM Japan have jointly established an artificial intelligence (AI) system that significantly reduces the time and cost of new product development, and which is poised to play a key role in the alcohol firm’s future innovations.
The next stage of evolution for the plant-based seafood sector in APAC is likely to come from the sea itself, in the form of proteins from marine-based plants such as seaweed and kelp, according to seafood giant Thai Union.
With more than a third of snackers citing ‘the excitement of flavour’ as the reason to indulge, the flavour experts at T. Hasegawa - one of the world’s top 10 flavour houses - get to grips with what both the better-for-you (BFY) and indulgent-minded consumer...
Bali-based Stark Craft Beer has revealed how it is differentiating its marketing strategy between regions, while cautioning that the fledgling Indonesia market is not yet ready for excessive flavour innovation.
Korean start-up TissenBioFarm highlighted greater enthusiasm among local governments to push for regulations and support for the cultivated meat industry, and has set a ‘realistic expectation’ to bring cultivated meat to Korean market by 2025.
Amino acid specialist Ajinomoto has predicted that more cost increases are likely in FY2023 due to continuous inflationary pressures, even though the company reported record-breaking sales and profits last year.
The earlybird discount for this year's Growth Asia Summit will end on May 30 - get your tickets today and check out the advance agenda detailing the industry experts and topics that will be addressed in Singapore this September.
Fonterra has launched a probiotic powdered drink in Singapore, and is looking to scale up SEA distribution to cover the ‘growing middle class’ in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
New data from a national government survey in Japan has revealed significantly more purchasing of fruits and vegetables in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by health awareness and convenience trends in the country.
Italian firm NIO Cocktails has concocted plans to double its production capacity from 2.5m packs a year to meet rising demand for premium pre-mixed cocktails, with Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong all proving to be key export markets.
Major food firms need to step up to the plate and ‘take a close look’ at their business models in order to help improve food supply diversity and nutritional value, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Chief Scientist has told us...
Suntory Beverage & Food, the company behind health supplement product Brand's Essence of Chicken, has reported a decline in its health supplement business in Asia-Pacific (APAC) as a result of inflation during Q1 this year.
China’s food safety authorities have allowed the use of vitamin B1, B2 in beverages for special purposes, such as sports drinks, while the maximum permitted dosage of taurine has been raised.
Middle Eastern consumers’ rising interest in foods and beverages that are healthy and indulgent, yet still easy to recognise, have led to increased demands for brands to focus on clean label ingredient lists, according to Olam Food Ingredients (ofi).
Dutch-based plant-based meat and seafood firm PLNT believes that its sodium-balanced, high-digestibility alternative protein products are well-placed to gain it entry into APAC and Middle Eastern markets.
Middle Eastern food and beverage giant Agthia has seen its snacking business grow leaps and bounds to secure company profitability in the first quarter of 2023, despite ongoing challenges from the Egyptian currency crisis and its protein business.
Kirin says that functional drinks from its health science domain are the “particular focus” for its beverage business this year after sales of its LC-Plasma immunity range increased by 8.5 per cent to 1.71 million cases in Q1.
Children are the ‘toughest food critics’ meaning that healthy snack firms have to pay equal attention to taste and nutrition if they are going to attract mass appeal and help improve the diets of young people.
South East Asian biscuit heavyweight Julie’s is looking to capitalise on the rising trend of indulgence as well as the longstanding demand for chocolate products in the Malaysian market with its new range Charm.
South Korean food tech company Armored Fresh is launching its plant-based cheese direct-to-consumer on Amazon and via its own site in the US after notching-up over 150 sales accounts in the country since launching just six months ago.
Food and beverage giant Unilever India has tweaked several of its products and stepped up innovation in order to combat cost hikes for commodities such as milk, although it now believes situation is stabilising
Japanese firm Shinryo Healthcare has overcome application challenges posed by hydrogen molecules to develop a jelly supplement that claims to improve sleep quality.
The new China Agri-Food Biomanufacturing Alliance says that bridging the gap between early-stage innovators and agri-food giants is key to driving industry growth.
Over half of all Chinese consumer still harbour doubts over the safety of both natural and artificial sweeteners on a regular basis, according to a recent nationwide survey.
