New Zealand’s first locally mass-produced oat milk brand Boring Oat Milk has its eye on the discerning APAC-wide coffee crowd after a successful domestic supermarket launch, and is confident that its ‘whisper, not shout’ strategy will stand out on shelves.
Irish dairy newcomer Grass to Milk is using a hybrid of social commerce and traditional e-commerce to market its new A2-protein, grass-fed milk products as it seeks to make inroads to the lucrative China market.
The firm says it will adopt a mix...
Australia’s Free Spirit Group has added an infant and young child product to its megaOmega brand of algae oil supplements, providing 250mg of DHA and 2.5mg of EPA per serving (0.5mL).
Online wine platform Naked Wines Australia says provenance is overtaking brand status as the key consumer concern and driving the independent wines sector to new heights, with the firm recording a 44% sales jump.
New Zealand start-up Mushroom Material has developed a sustainable mushroom-based material as an alternative to polystyrene styrofoam and cardboard packaging and is targeting the cosmetics sector for its first products.
The Australian food system is touted to be one of the safest in the world, but continued reports on major safety issues such as allergens and microbial contaminations are raising questions over whether more needs to be done to protect consumers.
New Zealand start-up Terps & Co believes it has created the world’s first non-alcoholic terpene spirits to help people ‘lose the booze but not the feels’.
Australia’s health research institute NICM has partnered with India’s Ministry of AYUSH in advancing the science and use of Ayurvedic medicine in conventional healthcare.
One of India’s pioneering hemp companies, India Hemp Organics (IHO), is gearing up to export its nutritional, medical and skin care products containing hemp and CBD products this year.
Australian mushroom-based meat firm Fable Food is making plans for widespread international expansion as well as intensive new product development using the fresh funding obtained from its latest seed round.
Australian dietary supplement firm Arborvitae has received a bumper deal with domestic pharmacy chain TerryWhite Chemmart for its joint health liquid supplement, with retailers’ interest in the product rising amid favourable consumer feedback and clinical...
New Zealand brand Fix & Fogg says rising demand from Australian and APAC consumers for more variety in nut butters is leading them to innovate beyond its traditional peanut products.
Australian infant nutrition firms are increasingly adopting an omnichannel business model in their operations in China, with firms expanding from the common cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) platforms to offline ventures, including mother-and-baby shops...
Australian online supermarket Geezy Go has big ambitions to reinvent local e-commerce in the country by committing to deliveries within 20 minutes or less, whilst also offering consumers the same product range as conventional supermarkets at more competitive...
Kirin-owned brewery Lion is urging the wider industry to increase commitments to recycle glass and aluminium, particularly in countries with less-advanced sustainability infrastructures, as these packaging materials are ‘here to stay’.
New Zealand alcohol-free ready-to-drink (RTD) spirits firm AF Drinks has its eye on the Asian market after securing significant domestic retail success within a year of launch.
A new Australian government report on imported food inspections has revealed that nutritional label errors are the most common issue found amongst foods entering the country, showing a worrying leap year-on-year.
Mars Australia has stepped up its use of predictive technology and big data to boost its understanding of post-COVID-19 consumer purchasing behaviour, as well as accelerate its new product development and innovations.
The New Zealand food industry is calling for an updated national nutrition study to find out accurate folic acid intake levels in order to ensure that the government is not ’flying blind’ in its recent decision to mandate the addition of this to flour.
The battle over plant-based labelling in Australia is heating up with representatives from both the plant-based sector and the traditional meat sector coming up with their own research to prove their points.
Food firms looking to enter China have been urged to pay closer attention to Chinese legal requirements and work with local authorities to ensure trademark protection of their products, following Zespri’s ongoing challenges with illegal gold kiwifruit...
New Zealand’s only tea estate Zealong Tea is planning its entry strategy into the Asian market with premiumisation, health, traceability and its organic offerings as key components.
The Australian government’s public inquiry into plant-based product labelling has drawn heated debate over the use of terms and livestock images linked to traditional animal meat.
Australian consumers are not shifting to more healthy diets, even when it is cheaper to do so, with a lack of time and ‘unhealthy food promotions’ the two main obstacles.
Australian wine exports during 2020–21 declined by 10% in value to $2.56bn AUD, compared to the previous financial year, while export volume declined by 5% to 695 million litres, according to Wine Australia’s latest Export Report.
Australian food-as-medicine company MediKane has concluded a crowdfunding campaign which raised more than AU$350,000 (US$258,000), to drive the next stage of the company’s growth, including international expansion plans.
The Australian manuka honey industry has gathered over 5,000 pages of information to fight back in court against New Zealand’s recent attempts to trademark the name ‘manuka’ for its honey, after failed attempts to reach a truce.
The New Zealand food and grocery industry has voiced its support for the potential entry of foreign supermarkets to break up the current local retail duopoly held by Foodstuffs and Countdown as suggested by a new Commerce Commission grocery sector report.
Australian brands seeking to get an export edge by certifying that their honey is Australian-made could benefit from new DNA tech pioneered by researchers from the nation’s scientific research body, CSIRO.
A two-year old Australian firm behind a hangover-relieving pear juice product is looking to be listed in 3,000 stores by the end of this year – including liquor stores.
Australia needs to make policy and investment adjustments to prioritise new product development, sustainable packaging and digitalisation in the food and grocery manufacturing to secure growth – otherwise it faces stagnation or decline by 2030.
The Australian meat industry has reaffirmed its commitment to its 2030 carbon neutrality goals on the back of new tools and technologies, even amidst the ongoing wider political debate regarding net zero emissions in the country.
The New Zealand food and grocery industry has lashed out against academic claims that the sector has heavily engaged in ‘COVID-washing’, or used the pandemic to promote ‘unhealthy’ products, calling this an example of ‘confirmation bias’ and ‘not based...
A New Zealand firm producing gin from Damson plums is expanding into the functional health foods space and has received funding to research and develop nutrition products based on its high amounts of anthocyanins.
Australia-based plant-based firm Fable Foods says a relentless focuses on greater premiumisation and minimal processing for its shiitake mushroom-based products are enabling it to maintain price parity with conventional meat items.
Probiotic specialists Probi has taken a stake in Blis Technologies and formed a partnership with the New Zealand-based oral probiotics firm that sees Probi manufacture select bacterial strains from Blis’ collection.
Australian consumers’ appetites for domestic, trustworthy brands is at an all-time high due to COVID-19 and is not expected to disperse any time soon, according to the heads of Australia’s largest independent grocery store Drakes Supermarkets.
New Zealand has long enjoyed a good reputation for high-quality and safe food exports, and the industry is now beefing up its efforts in the functional ingredient and foods space, with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and China top of mind.
Australia’s supplements industry has continued to grow amid the pandemic despite a dip in export revenue, with firms finding success by pivoting to immunity products and finding inroads into several new markets, including Iran, Israel and Brazil.
Australia-based Renovatio Bioscience has launched a supplement addressing both immunity and inflammation, a perceived ‘gap in the market’, with just four ingredients - activated phenolics, quercetin, zinc and vitamin C.
Mt Uncle Distillery has predicted a leap in demand for premium category spirits in Australia as it pledged to maintain its focus on maximising the use of local botanicals after bagging multiple top awards at international spirits competitions.
ASX-listed firm Forbidden Foods has launched a range of walnut/macadamia oil fortified with algal omega-3 in China and Australia based on consumer trends seen on major e-commerce platform Alibaba Tmall.
New Zealand start-up LILO Desserts is gearing up to launch its plant-based cheesecake range in the country this September, and is also eyeing Hong Kong and Singapore as its first export markets.
H&H has launched Australia’s first kids supplement containing human milk oligosaccharides (HMO), on the back of the ingredient receiving the required regulatory approval earlier this year.
Australian retail giants such as Coles and Woolworths are placing increased importance on developing previously sluggish e-commerce operations in the hope of capturing consumer loyalty to cement future growth.
Supplements containing oil from black cumin (Nigella sativa) may help manage blood sugar and improve cardiometabolic measures in type-2 diabetics, says a new study.
Australian food and beverage firms will need to snap out of pre-COVID-19 thought processes when it comes to supply chains and logistics and embrace more collaborative and tech-focused strategies, according to an industry expert.
New Zealand brand Vince has created dehydrated plant-based mince made entirely from vegetables, touted as a more sustainable plant-based option without the need for a chilled supply chain.
