After a decade of rising profits on the back of Chinese demand for coal and iron ore, Japan's two biggest biggest trading companies are shifting focus to food as bulk commodity prices and demand continue to wane.
“Human guinea pigs”, “gambling with health” and “shadowy research project”—the terms came thick and fast in Greenpeace’s revelation about Golden Rice earlier this year.
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.
Cambodia has inaugurated a food industry laboratory, built with Chinese aid, that sets out to assist food quality improvement, research and technology development.
INDUSTRY VOICES: HEAD OF AKTIEFOKUS CHINA, JACOB DE LICHTENBERG
For Chinese beer market followers, one of the most interesting developments over the last fortnight was Danish brewer Carlsberg’s announced strategy shift and expressed desire to acquire one of the nation's top three domestic brewers.
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.
The Chinese have given a vote of confidence to their government's public services, while at the same time voicing criticism about the quality of what they eat.
Yakult Honsha’s love affair with Yonghe is set to continue with the announcement of a second plant to be built in the economic zone in Guangzhou Province, China. The factory, which will produce the Yakult fermented milk drink, is slated to open in spring...
The “Golden Rice” scandal that has panicked parents and called into question research methods at an American university has seen a new development with the sacking of three officials in China.
Wine Intelligence analysts provide the lowdown on the five key developments the research group expects to see within the world’s fastest growing wine market China in 2013.
China’s potato chip consumption is low with consumers choosing biscuits, candy and chocolate instead, but the US and France top the global consumption charts, new research shows.
The key to winning over Chinese consumers is mastering distribution strategies, according to a new report by Rabobank, which also suggests that the country should be on the radar of European and American processed food companies that are facing flat growth...
Sunwin Stevia International hopes to penetrate the Chinese bakery sector further by targeting the private label segment with a range of stevia formulations.
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.
Wrigley has opened a factory in Guangzhou with an investment of over RMB1m (US$173.4m). The company claims that the 138,000sq-m site, in the Yonghe Economic Zone, is the largest, most technologically advanced manufacturing facility in its global supply...
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.
A US-based investment firm insists that PepsiCo needs to focus on its most profitable brands and emerging markets such as China to bolster margins and regain ground on Coke.
Evidence from a significant study now suggests that watermelon is a vital species for genetic research on account of its small genome size, and its diverse genetic mutants and variants. The findings also pave the way for research into genetic improvement...
A supplier of poultry to KFC in China has refuted claims in a Chinese website that it gives its chicken feed laced with large amounts of toxic additives.
A delegation of municipal staff from south Beijing have returned home after seeking New Zealand’s expertise in food production ahead of the completion of a Sino-Kiwi agricultural park in the Chinese capital.
Six of the world’s leading infant formula manufacturers are opposing a Hong Kong government proposal to ban the promotion of baby food products for children under the age of three.
PepsiCo’s tie-up with top Chinese beverage player Tingyi, given the green light in March, will significantly reduce growth opportunities for smaller market rivals, according to Martin Wu from Rabobank.
PepsiCo has officially opened a food and beverage innovation center in China to serve as a hub of product, packaging and equipment innovation for the business throughout Asia.
Numerous consignments of baby formula made in New Zealand have been prevented from entering China after authorities branded them substandard. Now it has come to light, the issue is raising concerns that the ensuing Chinese media coverage might potentially...
Kellogg and Wilmar’s 50:50 joint venture will dive into immediate opportunities in China’s developed snack market; using Pringles as its springboard, a Kellogg executive has said.
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.
Whereas China is the key driver of the world’s seafood industry, by the end of a decade of growing affluence among its population, the country’s role will have changed dramatically, bringing wholesale changes to global prices of most major premium seafood...
According to China’s National Bureau of Statics, consumer goods sales between January and September this year totalled $2.4 trillion—an increase of 14.1% over the same period in 2011.
Nestlé's $11.85bn (€9bn) acquisition of Pfizer Nutrition has been given the go-ahead by anti-trust authorities in China – taking the “strategic” takeover a step closer to completion.
Fonterra has announced concrete plans to step up milk production in China after the New Zealand dairy giant signed an investment agreement to develop two more large farms in Hebei province.
Fonterra has signed an investment agreement with Chinese authorities to develop two more large-scale dairy farms – the latest step in the firm’s strategy to build a sustainable fresh local milk supply in the country.
Reuters has reported that Asia buyout firm Olympus Capital is leading an investor group that has injected US$50m to expand China's Huaxia Dairy Farm, which produces the raw milk that is in short supply in China's growing dairy sector.
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.
A2 Corporation (A2C) – the manufacturer of a2 brand milk products – looks set to enter the Chinese market after agreeing a distribution deal with an in-market state-owned firm.
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.
Further intensifying its efforts to crack the Chinese market, an Israel-based global premix supplier has inked a distribution agreement to ease into the local food manufacturing space.
To a backdrop of its slowing growth in the region, Nestlé has revealed that it will double the number of its research and development units in China. The announcement came at the company’s first ever China-centric earnings call from Shanghai.
Chinese foodmaker Yinlu Foods Group has announced plans to spend almost half a billion dollars in the construction of two new factories. The investment will serve to increase capacity by two-thirds.
Government grain officials across China have joined a movement to “experience 24 hours of hunger” as part of a wider campaign to promote public awareness of food security and to curb grain waste.
