Horphag, the company behind the Pycnogenol brand of French Maritime Pine bark extracts, has launched a new ingredient, this time based on French oak wood that it is branding Robuvit.
Leading Japanese direct-seller Q’SAI Co Ltd is entering the US with a new wholly-owned subsidiary and will launch American versions of health products that have become staples in Japan.
A carotenoid from green algae called siphonaxanthin may inhibit the development of fat cells and the build-up of fat in fat tissue, suggests new research from Japan. The compound could be a novel ingredient for use in weight management supplements, said...
As EP Resources reports on a changing Japanese beverage landscape marked by a C-store surge, report author Stuart Hoggard talks trends including taller, slimmer bottles, and a willingness among global giants such as PepsiCo to let local partners manage...
Japan’s packaging industry is being forced to dramatically change its formats, portion sizes and adopt technologies such as light-weighting and downsizing its products thanks to a rise in ‘konbini’ convenience stores, according to Stuart Hoggard, CEO,...
Hong Kong has banned the import of poultry from some regions of Japan, Israel and Nigeria following the announcement of H5 avian influenza outbreaks there.
The crowdfunding website Kickstarter helped the beverage company Genki-Su raise nearly twice as much money as necessary to pay for the first round of bottling for its concentrated Japanese drinking vinegar, but company co-founder Judy Tan acknowledged...
Japanese conglomerate Nagase has revealed its predictions of country’s top food trends for 2015. Its choices are based on the anticipated changes to Japanese claims regulations, as well as consumer interest in new food experiences and ethnic flavours.
Japan’s novus annus horribilis continues following the recall of more than 120,000 pouches of baby food after a consumer found an insect in one package.
McDonald’s Japan’s recent woes are continuing into the New Year after objects including a piece of plastic and a human tooth were found by consumers in its food this week.
The last 12 months have been turbulent for much of Asia-Pacific's food industry, with regulations, legislation, markets and partnerships continuing to develop in the latest step in the region's economic development.To mark a fascinating year...
McDonald’s customers in Japan are facing life with smaller fry portions to go with their red snow crab croquette burgers as the company attempts to sort out problems with the potato supply chain that links its two biggest markets.
Daily supplements of the high-viscosity macromolecular polymer hyaluronan (HA) may increase skin moisture in people with dry skin, and improve luster and suppleness of the face, says a new study from Japan.
Functional ingredient major FutureCeuticals has been issued a Japanese patent for whole coffee fruit production, including coffee fruit powders, extracts and concentrates.
Extracts from green tea may boost a range of cognitive functions, with particular benefits observed for short term memory, report researchers from Japan.
Nestlé Japan will soon begin using a humanoid robot to sell Nescafé machines as the company devises new ways to appeal to customers in the brand’s biggest market.
From an €80 million market for anti-ageing placenta supplements to the world’s most innovative (and fad-driven) functional foods and drinks market, Japan’s healthy ageing market is unique and instructive.
With more than a quarter of Japan’s population over the age of 60, it is said that country suffers more from the issues of an ageing population than any other country. That’s no doubt why the anti-ageing industry is doing so well.
By Shane Starling at FI-Asia in Jakarta, Indonesia
From tea yoghurt to coffee fruit energy, portable water enhancement to Milo’s brand expansions, Mintel shared category-busting innovation at Food Ingredients-Asia in Jakarta, Indonesia, this week.
Frito-Lay Japan has developed an array of limited edition snacks for October, from avocado and cheese tortilla chips to burdock and soy flavored extruded snacks.
The pace of innovation refuses to slow down in Japan, a nation known for its wild tastes, flavours and aromas, from garlic ice cream to bread that smells like Guinness.
"We aren’t going to wake up one day and everything will be crystal clear; there’s going to be some trial and error going through it.”
By RJ Whitehead & Shane Starling at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo
Japan will implement a new health claims system that is set to supersede its strict FOSHU regime in April 2015 – just six months away – but what form will it take and will it meet its deadline?
By Shane Starling at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo
Japan’s innovative but restricted €25bn functional foods and food supplements sector is about to be handed a set of game-changing marketing keys by the government, industry players told us at Health Ingredients-Japan in Tokyo today.
Japan’s second biggest island, Hokkaido in the north of the country, is known across Asia as being one of the continent's premier locations for seafood. And now a local nutraceutical company has been using its reputation to supply Muslims with a...
McDonald’s Holdings Japan has revised its financial forecasts to take into account a damaging incident earlier this year, in which workers from supplier Shanghai Husi were filmed picking meat off the floor and using out-of-date beef and chicken.
American Medical Holdings and Bio Actives Japan K.K. have collaborated to launch a new ingredient complex, FB3, a blend of three botanical actives that inhibits the absorption of dietary fats.
Meiji’s fragranced milk range - developed for those that dislike the regular smell - has been heralded by market intelligence firm Datamonitor as a “new type of milk.”
The potential bone health benefits of vitamin K2 menaquinone-4 may be achievable at a daily dose of 600 micrograms, according to a new study from Kyowa Hakko with implications for formulations and health.
Meiji infant formula sold in Taiwan will in future be exported from Japan as the company looks to capitalize on the "high quality" reputation held by Japanese goods.
Agilent Technologies and Shimadzu Corp. have enabled control of each other’s GC instruments for respective chromatography data systems to provide analytical laboratories with more freedom when selecting a system.
Kohjin Life Sciences says new information now published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry proves the blood plasma uptake of its glutathione dervied from torula yeast.
Dutch-Swiss ingredients giant DSM Nutritional Products (DNP) has called ‘time’ on Teavigo, a decade after launching the proprietary, weight management-focused green tea extract.
Dietary supplements of a filtrate from natto, a traditional Japanese fermented food made from soybean, may significantly reduce blood pressure in people with lifestyle diseases, says a new study.
Scientists have called new discoveries from leading Japanese dairy product company Morinaga Milk Industry on popular probiotic genus bifidobacteria, “an interesting first step”.
The recent signing of a trade agreement between Japan and Australia will give wine exports to the Far East a “step-up”, according to the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA).
Isn’t the answer obvious? The Chinese, with their thirst for fine French wines, New World reds and keenness to plant vineyards over the past five years, easily outstrip the economically stressed, beer-loving Japanese.
Japan has a reputation for food innovation, and a new initiative by Nestlé will transform one of its iconic chocolate bars into currency for train travel while at the same time promoting a crisis-hit part of the country.
Swedish biotech company Indevex has joined its Symrise KK Far East partner in a supply and licence agreement with Asahi Food and Healthcare to distribute NGCTM Nutrition Formula in Japan, where the product is better known as N&G Nutrition Formula.
Granola has boomed in Japan because of its health promise and versatility and Western cereal firms could cash in further by playing up the trendy aspect, says a Datamonitor Consumer analyst.
Most beverage brands are probably content to work on their distribution on plain old planet Earth but a Japanese sports drinks brand is set to become the first commercial delivery to the moon.
Infant formula products developed specifically for babies with certain disorders are “often the best, and sometimes the only option,” Japanese dairy giant Meiji has claimed.
Cargill says that chocolate manufacturers can now make the switch from soy lecithin to the “more sustainable” sunflower lecithin after Japan became the last country to approve the emulsifier.
Cargill has obtained approval for the use of sunflower lecithin in Japan, which until now had been the only country in the world where the additive had not previously been approved for food applications.
Häagen-Dazs is calling on Japanese consumers to eat their vegetables after announcing the launch in May of two new, veggie-influenced ice cream flavours.
Asahi Group Holdings, the firm behind the Asahi Japanese beer brand, is preparing for its first foray into fresh dairy after agreeing a deal to acquire Malaysian firm Etika Dairies.
