News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
The importance of social media and online food photography have rapidly increased consumer demand for ‘better-looking’ food and beverage products in the Asia Pacific region, with a focus on elements such as clarity and colour.
See our top 10 most-read healthier innovation stories from 2024, featuring Nestle’s healthy ageing plans, Philippines' added sugar ban plans, protein made from air and more.
FNA TRAILBLAZERS EP 54
Singapore-based children’s food firm HaruPlate is looking to tap on mediums of gameplaying as well as cultural influences to get kids in the APAC region to first eat at all, then eat healthier.
Read our top 10 most-viewed food and beverage packaging stories throughout 2024, featuring various packaging and labelling regulatory updates, Perfetti Van Melle’s packaging strategy, Yili’s unique new twist-top tea bottle and more.
Asia Pacific Agri-Tech Innovation Summit
The precision fermentation sector in Asia Pacific needs to take a more ‘realistic’ approach to operational and infrastructural management with a shift towards collaborative attitudes, in light of funding becoming increasingly scarce.
We reveal the top 10 most-read food safety and security stories from the APAC food and beverage industry from 2024, featuring chemical leaching and antibiotic fears, package labelling to ensure safety, import regulations and more.
Reformulated RTD drinks, Pernod Ricard’s ultra-prestige launch, kimchi beverage in a can and more feature in this edition of Trend Tracker.
Long-standing Japanese brand Nihonichi Shoyu has added a yuzu soy sauce and cheese flavoured seasoning powder to its product range for its initial batch of exports into the APAC market.
Eight free webinars, over 50 experts and one unmissable opportunity to turn nutrition insights into action. It’s FoodNavigator’s global Positive Nutrition event
FNA DEEP DIVE: CULTIVATED MEAT
The cultivated meat and seafood sector in APAC has gone through various ups and downs in recent years – but now that the dust has settled, what does the industry truly see as the path forward?
Five Asia-focused projects will examine the effects of human oligosaccharides (HMOs) and postbiotics – independently or with probiotics – on immunity, metabolism, ageing, and mental health.
The Indonesian government’s latest notification to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has included a stern warning to both domestic and foreign food firms against introducing products with high sugar, salt or fat content.
Dairy brand Elle & Vire has highlighted artificial intelligence (AI) as an efficient tool for inspiration and time-saving, but urged that this cannot yet ‘be used as-is’ to replace human creativity or innovation.
The cultivated meat sector needs to be aligned with not only food safety regulations but also local religious and cultural beliefs in Asia if commercial success is to be achieved in the region.
MAD Foods, a Singapore-headquartered company specialising in plant-based ready-to-drink beverages, is partnering TurtleTree in developing a new line of functional oat milk coffee containing lactoferrin that will be launched in mid-2025.
South East Asian children are facing the triple burden of malnutrition – undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies, with the latter, known as ‘hidden hunger’, emerging as an alarming trend.
The early bird delegate sale, with a 25% discount, for our Growth Asia Summit has been extended to December 24.
Asahi Group Holdings (Asahi) has seen steady growth in the third quarter of 2024 buoyed by a rise in local Japanese demand for beer as well as international interest in its Super Dry product.
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Recent research findings by Euromonitor International highlight the prominence of probiotic and botanical ingredients in packaged foods in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, which also underscores innovation opportunities for wider application and variation.
Everyone knows we need to produce more food, with fewer resources. But how is Asia’s agri-food sector turning words into action, and what more urgently needs to be done?
Vitafoods Asia 2024
Supplements for sleep support are moving beyond melatonin or GABA pills designed for the general population, as companies place greater attention on insomnia and menopause, and designing non-pill products, such as meal replacement powders.
Natural colours manufacturer Oterra is boosting its production capacity in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region while continuing to create “bold innovations” based on its latest survey findings.
Australia and Japan have successfully claimed the titles of World’s Best Steak and Asia’s Best Steak respectively in this year’s World Steak Challenge.
Japanese-based Italian food brand Amici is aiming to fuse the traditions of both cuisines as it seeks to exports frozen products to South East Asia.
Finnish dairy co-operative Valio believes a focus on lactose-free milk innovation with an identical taste profile to regular dairy is the way to gain more prominent recognition within the Asian dairy market.
Suntory-owned Bowmore’s new travel retail range aims to beat competition through differentiated whiskey ages and a revamped packaging design, which it says depicts its storied history and forward-looking efforts.
Thai Wah is aiming to use its tapioca-based thermoplastic starch (TPS) for its consumer food packaging to create a closed-loop solution starting with cassava cultivation and ending with eco-friendly waste that enriches the soil.
UMAMI Bioworks says it will tap into South Korea’s lead in novel foods in its latest collaboration with biotechnology firm KCell Biosciences and bioprocess solutions provider WSG.
ADM has identified four key trends that will influence the food and beverage industry, focusing on personalised wellness and bold, fruity flavours.
Alcohol major Pernod Ricard is focusing on increasing awareness and availability of its prestige brands in burgeoning markets and channels, while expanding its premium craft spirits portfolio to meet growing interest for niche products.
Hindustan Unilever India (HUL) has announced plans to implement ‘calibrated price increases’ in light of inflationary pressures leading to significant cost hikes in palm oil and tea.
South Korean kimchi-focused company Narichan has launched a new ready-to-drink (RTD) kimchi drink in a bid to move beyond the traditional concepts of the product and consumption boost exports.
Greater cross-border collaboration across food chains is urgently needed in South East Asia to meet the rising threats of climate change, supply risks and geopolitical uncertainity.
Spain-based Eggnovo has set its sights on the beauty-from within and joint health markets in Asia, believing that its collagen upcycled from eggshells can provide consumers with a versatile option that is required in much lower doses than regular collagen.
FNA DEEP DIVE: FOOD SAFETY & TRACEABILITY
Investments into food safety and traceability tech are becoming major priorities for many food and beverage firms across the Asia Pacific region, with regional experts telling us this is inn response to rapidly-evolving local needs.
Our Microbiome Innovations APAC editorial webinar will take place on Tuesday (November 5), 3pm Singapore time, and registration is FREE.
Dark chocolate reduced depression scores among menopausal women but had no significant effect on sleep quality and anthropometric indices, according to researchers.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the nutraceuticals industry could become a ‘crucial’ component of innovation and regulatory compliance processes, but care must be taken regarding the information that is fed into the technology.
Tate & Lyle has highlighted that speedy innovation and operational digitalisation are more important to the food and beverage sector in Asia than anywhere else in the world, amidst the unveiling of its new globally-connected research laboratory.
Flavours specialist McCormick has highlighted the importance of innovating with spicy flavours in tandem with sodium reduction across savoury food categories in the Asian market.
South Korean firm Ildong Bioscience says that raising consumer awareness and the entry of more players may be crucial for pushing the growth of postbiotics in the local market.
Japanese dairy giant Meiji will invest USD28m into its US subsidiary to increase production capacity of its hero brand Hello Panda, aiming to raise overseas sales ratio to 10% or more by 2026.
The Asia Pacific functional beverage industry is increasingly seeing consumer demands for sugar reduction, label transparency and allergen aversion becoming commonplace.
AgTechNavigator's FREE AgTech Innovation and Investment – APAC editorial webinar takes place on November 6. Register your attendance today so you don’t miss out. The event will start on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 5:00 PM SGT (Singapore).
Diageo-owned The Singleton has identified flavours as a key focus area to further drive growth in Asia, where the complexity of Scotch whiskey and its versatility in localisation are increasingly recognised.
Nestle is reintegrating the Greater China region with the rest of Asia, as new CEO Laurent Freixe unveiled a significant U-turn from its 2021 geographical ‘sharpening’ strategy.
A recent study has found water-soluble tomato concentrate (WSTC) to have a significant impact on blood pressure regulation, which could contribute to the development of novel dietary approaches for protecting heart health.
The Milky Way Program, which aims to modernise Nepal’s dairy sector by improving dairy herd genetics, farming practices, and milk quality, could provide a blueprint for other low and middle-income countries.
FNA TRAILBLAZERS EP 53
Australia’s Tummy Buddies believes that healthier product innovation for children needs to focus on bright colours and visual appeal in order to secure that crucial first purchase.