With rumors swirling that Japanese giant Suntory is considering a $6bn IPO next year, one analyst reasons that any desire to enter the UK market could see it target Barr Britvic Soft Drinks.
Multinational Suntory Holdings plans to sell shares in its non-alcoholic drinks business to fund a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) drive, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg.
It seems like the sale of Dole's worldwide packaged foods and Asia fresh business to Itochu is almost complete, following an announcement that the American fruit major's president will be joining Itochu to run the company's new acquisitions.
Changing trends in traditional key export markets are presenting both hurdles and opportunities for Australia's boxed-beef exporters, according to a recently released industry report.
Japanese dairy giant Meiji Holdings has set aside 11.5bn yen ($140m, €110m) to build and equip a new processing plant under plans to increase its yogurt and milk product processing capabilities.
Reuters reports that Japanese drink maker Yakult Honsha has confirmed it has agreed with Danone SA to continue talks on the possibility of the French food company to take a bigger stake in Yakult.
Daily supplements of curcumin may benefit cardiovascular health to the same extent as exercise for postmenopausal women, says new data from a clinical trial from Japan.
Drinking just one fizzy soft drink per day could bump up the risk of stroke by up to 80 per cent, according to a research team studying the effects of such beverages on nearly 40,000 Japanese men and women.
Japanese food major Morinaga who secured the sales rights for Pringles in Japan should tap into the imports trend and push original US flavours on the market, not Japanese imitations, an industry source says.
Biothera has named Ryusendoas its exclusive distributor in Japan of Wellmune WGP and its other immune health ingredients for foods, beverages, and supplements.
After India, Vietnam has become the second seafood-exporting nation to face the brunt of new Japanese regulations that will lower the acceptable levels for a key anti-oxidant used in fishmeal.
India’s shrimp exporters are concerned by a new move by Japanese food safety regulators to lower the acceptable levels of a key anti-oxidant used in fishmeal.
Japanese trading major Itochu has disclosed that it is in advanced talks with Dole Food over the purchase of the American company’s processed foods business and Asian fruit and vegetable operation.
The majority of Japanese consumers believe that the opening diameters of screw-top aluminium bottles are too small, a study has found, while also determining that 33mm is the optimum size for 'drinking ease'.
Japan’s second biggest confectioner Meiji Holdings has reported a steep decline in its first quarter (Q1) confectionery profits as its chocolate sales fall and it suffers from a “shrinking” gum market.
Europe and North America were the worst performing regions for Nestlé according to its first half (H1) results, while Asia, Oceania, Africa and emerging markets delivered double digit growth.
Monster Beverage Corporation admits its Q2 brand launch in Japan has hit problems, but said the nation’s distributors and retailers were far less tolerant of shipping damages and leakages than in the US.
An oatmeal product, manufactured in and imported from Japan, has been found to contain low levels of radioactivity by food safety authorities in Hong Kong.
Authorities in Japan have sounded an alert over cochineal extract, a commonly used food colorant, over fears it could trigger intense allergic reactions amongst consumers.
Fish harvested off Australia and New Zealand are free from radioactive contamination caused by the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear accident in Japan, the region's food regulator has said in light of a recent study.
Demand for bread and ramen noodle products made with domestic wheat varieties is growing in Japan but the country needs to invest in its weak local production of the grain, government institute says.
Beverage and ice cream manufacturers are investing in power alternatives at Japanese facilities, as the tentative electricity network will not see a major uptick this summer.
Coca-Cola has been driving growth across Japan in 2011 with NPDs and expanded distribution channels; its latest tea product is set to carve an entirely new product category in the local market, the company said.
The previously robust seafood trade corridor between Japan and South Korea took a huge beating because of nuclear contamination fears in the wake of the Fukushima incident last year.
Japan’s functional food manufacturers have recently shifted activities towards the global market amid a shrinking population and declining domestic demand, claims an industry expert.
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has suspended poultry imports and eggs from Australia following the bird flu outbreak in Victoria earlier this week.
A method for marker-assisted breeding, conceived in 2009 through a collaborative research project between the UK and Japan, is now focused on developing rice breeds tolerant to salt-sodden Japanese soils following the Tsunami last year.
Following the discovery of radioactive substances in its baby milk formula, it has now emerged that Meiji Holdings Co. was contacted about possible contamination three weeks before it decided to recall the products.
Japan’s alcoholic beverage market is shrinking and sluggish according to a Datamonitor report, but analysts have noted opportunity in the growing alcohol-free sector due to consumer focus on drink driving laws.
Distribution of rice cultivated in the Fukushima prefecture has been restricted following the detection of unsafe levels of radioactive contamination found in samples harvested this season.
Drinks manufacturers need to be strategic to succeed in the struggling Japanese market, paying attention to the trend for gourmet and healthier beverages and the younger generation’s preferences, according to an industry report.
India-based Generix Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd. is betting on changing lifestyle patterns and an increased awareness of health and fitness issues in India for its new nutraceuticals business.
Danish probiotics giant Chr Hansen says its just-announced alliance with a Japanese botanical supplement maker will yield plant-probiotic combination food supplement products on European and global markets kicking off in Q1 2012.
In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japanese scientists from the Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre are working towards a potential solution for the future of Japanese rice farmers – a strain of rice resilient to cesium absorption.
Demand for gourmet yoghurt has seen a small yoghurt maker from New Zealand attract interest from a multi-million dollar player that would see its products on shelves in thousands of stores in Japan.
Independent Japanese inspectors have found the first case of radioactive contamination in a sample of rice since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident five months ago, on March 11.
Consuming nutrient-dense seaweed may decrease blood pressure in healthy children and offer earlier-life strategies for preventing high blood pressure in adults, says a new study.
Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings today announced an agreement to acquire 100% of Independent Liquor from Pacific Equity Partners and Unitas Capital in a 97.6bn Yen ($1.28bn) deal.
After several years and several “dialogues” with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Japanese supplier Kaneka has won a positive Novel Foods opinion for its weight management liquorice extract.
New York-based Maypro Group has finally revealed its ‘quiet’ program to donate potassium iodide supplements to Japanese locals at risk from the recent nuclear incident, and asks if there is a way to turn this into a wider industry fundraising effort.
Beverage giant Coca-Cola is donating 2.5bn Yen (US$31m) to areas affected by the tsunami, earthquake and nuclear disaster that hit the country this month.
The Japanese bakery and cereals market is expected to slow down over the next few years in terms of retail sales and product launches, said Datamonitor, as Japan’s biggest bread maker Yamazaki reported stagnant 2010 net sales.
