A deluge of early monsoon rains is expected to help produce a bumper Asian rice crop this season, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has predicted.
By Darrel Webber, secretary general of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
Increasing global consumption of palm oil poses serious sustainability challenges and raises questions about leading consumer nations’ responsibility in managing the footprint of its global supply chain.
Pakistani, Caribbean and Halal cuisines experienced the greatest growth in order volumes in US restaurants over the past year, although Italian, Chinese and Japanese remain the top three most popular ethnic cuisines in America, according to digital food...
North American producers once led the bi-orientated film market but the industry is mostly now in the hands of Asian owners, according to PCI Films Consulting.
New Zealand’s Economic Development Ministry has released a report that suggests the country is on the way to becoming a major fresh fruit supplier to new markets in Asia.
It is no secret Malaysia has a strict halal verification process and its certification is accepted across all Muslim countries, including the Middle East. But why did the country embark on a policy to tame the standards beast.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says better nutrition targets to battle global hunger that affects 870 million people globally are being met in 38 countries.
When you are catering to 1.8bn Muslim shoppers in a market that, according to The Economist, is likely to grow by 35% by 2030, there is bound to be a degree of fragmentation, but when it comes to halal, it is often more a case of disorganisation.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reiterated calls for more to be done to improve nutrition in the first 1000 days of life to reduce growth stunting that blights the lives of about 165m children worldwide.
A Norwegian start-up says its patent pending compression technology has allowed it to commercialise omega-3 powder that can be formulated in hard tablets rather than capsules.
China’s rice production is proving to be a conundrum for analysts and food organisations the world over. The simple fact is, nobody knows with any degree of certainty what’s happening there, and what little that can be divined is nothing short of puzzling.
Australia’s dairy companies have failed to invest in technology and do not try hard enough to profit from international trade, Murray Goulburn’s chief executive, Gary Helou, has warned.
BUT BIG BRANDS HENNESSEY, JOHNNIE WALKER STRONG IN KEY MARKETS
Despite runaway spirits growth in Asia, 20% of global brands do not have a Chinese website, and mobile sites tend to lack investment, but Hennessey and Johnnie Walker are strong in key markets.
A book released this week by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s forestry department attempts to persuade Westerners that they should see insects as a potential key food source for the future. This will no doubt please Australian “science communicator”...
In the wake of the European Commission’s announcement that it will adopt a proposal to restrict the use of three pesticides belonging to the neonicotinoid family, rice research guru Bas Bouman has called for Asia to take different approaches, including...
Even though energy drinks forms the smallest category of soft drink consumption in Asia, one industry research company has hailed it as the most dynamic.
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) MD Terry Davis has responded to an attack from the CEO of retail giant Coles, who claims that Coca-Cola costs Australian consumers too much at a 60% price premium over Asia.
Last year, China was once again led the world in alcohol consumption, having swigged through more than 59bn litres of alcohol, according to market research firm Euromonitor.
The recent rise of India as a rice exporter and of China—somewhat unexpectedly—as an importer is paving the way for increased uncertainty to the global market for the crop, according to one expert at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Carlsberg CEO Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen says the firm is currently less concerned with building Asian margins than securing growth in a key region, particularly in markets such as China and India.
Consumers in emerging markets are more receptive to new chocolate products than counterparts in established markets because they don’t have a point of reference, according to ADM Cocoa’s innovation chief.
BASF’s nutrition and health division has presented Newtrition Asia Research Grants to eight scientists in recognition of their work in advancing heart health research.
Watching Asia from a Western prism gives you the advantage of seeing the bigger picture. But on the flip-side, you end up benchmarking what you see against what has happened in the West.
By Beverly Postma, executive director of Food Industry Asia
As the deadline for the creation of single common market across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) fast approaches, the food industry has stepped up to demonstrate that the private sector can play a meaningful role in accelerating the...
A newly developed strain of rice tolerant to levels of salt found in seawater might become available to farmers in the next four to five years, and its impact on food security could be massive.
Probiotic leader Chr Hansen is targeting dairy players with an L. Lactis probiotic strain it says produces vitamin K at significant enough levels to utilise approved health claims.
Connell Brothers has signed an exclusive agreement with Ganeden Biotech to market the American company’s GanedenBC30 priobiotic across the Asia-Pacific region. Connell plans to begin distribution immediately, beginning with Southeast and North Asia.
Health claims in food and beverage products is perhaps the most talked about topic in the entire food production chain outside of GM. In mature markets like the US—and now Australasia—at least there has been frameworks implemented to rationalise the claim-making...
Asia’s Muslim-majority countries should see Western nations as a viable and potentially lucrative market for their halal products, according to a leading food marketing consultant.
New Zealand’s Taura Natural Ingredients plans to launch a new range of concentrated fruit pieces for bakery and foodservice operators in Asia. The products will fit in the premium category and will be specific to the niche.
Sri Lanka looks destined to build the world’s largest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging resin plant with an investment of over US$500m dollars.
Better food fortification initiatives are required to tackle the global problem of hidden hunger that accounts for 10% of health costs, a Nestlé-sponsored congress heard in Germany today.
In just the first weekend of new regulations designed to prohibit the trafficking of infant formula out of Hong Kong, border patrols had already arrested around 45 traders.
Oxfam will step up its campaign to improve the treatment of people and resources that form part of the supply chain of the world’s biggest food conglomerates, after it cast industry responses to its damning Behind the Brands report as ‘bland’ and ‘complacent’.
Unilever and Nestlé say Oxfam missed an opportunity for a wider and more comprehensive debate about food ethics after the NGO published a damning report on the supply chains of the world’s biggest food firms this week.
Associated British Foods – worst-in-class in an Oxfam report critical of 10 food giants for essentially operating under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) “veil of secrecy” – has hit back, slamming the report ‘s findings as “ridiculous”.
Already a mainstay in the Middle East ingredients market, Dohler has now announced further expansion in the region following its acquisition of the fruit processing and flavour unit of Delta Aromatic in Egypt.
Just got off the phone to Ola Snove, the new(ish) CEO of Aker part-owned Norwegian omega-3 specialist Epax. Wanted to know his view on high-end omega-3 prospects that have attracted BASF and DSM to the sector. His word: “Stellar”.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dubai have been granted final approval to become the first Middle Eastern country to export dairy products into the European Union (EU), one of the region’s largest camel milk producers has revealed.
Diageo is in an arguably stronger market position than multinational peer SAB Miller due to its core exposure to spirits rather than beer, according to one City analyst who covers the firm.
Revamped, more complete product lines that are connecting with new customers are driving growth in the sports nutrition market, according to a new report.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has defended its work with the global food industry, saying it is a vital partner in nutrition-changing efforts in the developing world and does not represent a conflict of interest (COI).
Clinching global culture club membership by swigging Pepsi or Coke is not enough for soft drinks consumers in emerging markets, who are increasingly swayed by regional tastes, according to Euromonitor International.
The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo are looking to shift bottling assets onto strong franchise partners in order to refocus in house efforts on brand building and marketing.
Growing consumer awareness of their own deficiencies, its health benefits, and the emergence of innovative forms are making magnesium the ‘the hottest ingredient in the mineral category’.
