The incoming chief of Australian supermarket giant Woolworths Ltd has said that the chain will welcome food products out of New Zealand on its shelves, despite its policy of buying local first.
A rising demand for flour stabilization and fortification has prompted Germany-based flour treatment solutions provider Mühlenchemie GmbH & Co. KG to open its own production plant and research centre in China.
A new study has suggested that there are undeclared allergens in many commercial processed food products in Thailand, which could cause allergic reactions.
An Australian bill requiring palm oil to be explicitly labelled has come in for harsh criticism from food industry representatives, after it was passed by the Senate last week.
DKSH Holdings Ltd, the Swiss market expansion services group, has invested in a new innovation centre in Thailand as part of an initiative to introduce new concepts and ingredients to the local confectionery and bakery industry.
Private equity firm Lazard Australia is in talks with potential strategic partners in Asia to sell a portion of its stake in Australian biscuit maker Unibic Pty Ltd, Unibic’s managing director Michael Quinn told Reuters last week.
Intake of flour containing 40 per cent lupin flour in place of conventional wholemeal flour could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, according to research from Australia’s Victoria University.
Puratos is launching its bakery enhancers in the Middle East and in Asia in response to growing demand for “western type” cakes with a long shelf life, said the firm.
Leading cocoa processor Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has announced it is kick-starting its Ivory Coast sustainable cocoa initiative – Serap – in Indonesia in a bid to boost cocoa quality from growers in that region.
NutraSweet has welcomed a recently announced Chinese crackdown on food additive counterfeiters, amid fears that substandard versions of its patented neotame sweetener are being sold on the Chinese market.
CSM has opened a new facility for dry bakery mixes and mixes in China, which will allow it to step up capacity to meet demand from Asia and better serve local tastes.
Nestlé and General Mills’ joint venture Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) is investing €27m in a new Malaysian factory to enable the local production of Nestlé breakfast cereals in the country for the first time.
Danisco has announced the latest in a string of capacity upgrades at its cellulose gum facility in China, in response to increasing demand from the food and oral care industries.
Barry Callebaut, in a bid to meet its strategic need to diversify its cocoa origin and boost the viability of cocoa production in Malaysia, has announced a new research programme.
A new research project aims to optimise the production and quality of oil palm, helping to produce more sustainable crops, by using molecular genetics to boost crop breeding.
As the world’s most populous nation with a strong economy, China is an attractive target for food manufacturers and their suppliers - but they cannot operate effectively in the region without a local presence, according to Torben Friis Lange, AAK vice...
The market for the sweetener sucralose is poised for growth, with global production expected to top 15,000 tonnes by 2018, according to the world’s second largest sucralose producer.
The delivery of Cargill’s first UTZ Certified beans from Vietnam marks an important milestone for the company in its bid to establish the region as a new origin country for cocoa, said the ingredients giant.
The Asia Pacific high intensity sweetener market is bouncing back from the blow dealt by the financial crisis – but while new growth is on the cards, natural sweeteners like stevia are expected to challenge old favourites in the next five years, according...
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.
Ajinomoto’s Advantame has moved a step closer to approval in Australia and New Zealand, as FSANZ has published its preferred option that the Food Standards Code be amended to approve the intense sweetener for sale and use.
Greenpeace has welcomed a pledge towards forest conservation from palm oil supplier Golden Agri-Resources Limited (GAR) which is aimed at “creating long-term sustainable growth for GAR and the palm oil industry”.
Danish food ingredient supplier Palsgaard is building a new US $30m emulsifier factory in Asia, with production scheduled to start in the second half of 2012.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has said its business is likely to increase by 50 to 60 percent in 2011 compared to a year earlier, mainly due to increased demand in China.
New Zealand opposition party members are calling on the government to fortify the country’s flour supply and bread output with folic acid, following reports of the success of a similar program across the Tasman Sea in Australia.
Increasing demand for western style pastries in Thailand is behind ingredients supplier Unifine’s goal to expand its presence in that market this year.
The first 100 per cent single source chocolate from Vietnam is being launched by Belgian B2B producer, Grand-Place, who in a bid to increase output is investing heavily in improving the quality of the cocoa beans from the region.
Soy ingredients company Solae opened a food application centre in Shanghai yesterday, promising to cut product development times for Asia-Pacific customers.
A scheme based on a computer-aided process simulation tool can optimise the cocoa manufacturing process in Malaysia and double output, claims new research.
Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency has said it intends to ask food makers to voluntarily label the trans fat content of their products, according to Kyodo News International.
Cocoa bean exports were hit for the first time in four months as heavy rains damaged crops and disrupted transport, according to the Indonesian Cocoa Association.
Westernised eating habits and the desire for convenient foods to fit into busy working lives are driving demand for food and beverage enzymes in South Asia, according to the president of Novozymes Asia.
Increasing obesity in children in China will stimulate demand for healthier bakery and cereal products, claims Datamonitor in a new report that shows that China ranks fourth in new bakery product launches in the global market in 2009.
China, India and the US must make firm commitments to sourcing sustainable palm oil if any meaningful progress is to be made on tackling deforestation, according to one UK government minister.
Products such as confectionery, biscuits and juice products are experiencing double-digit growth in China with this consumer demand fuelling an increase in the country’s sugar imports, according to a USDA report.
Political decisions encouraging biofuel production from palm oil is causing deforestation in Indonesia and not the low tonnage sourced by Kit Kat maker Nestlé, according to the chairman of the Swiss based food company.
Pulverised lime is being added to bleaching agents used in Chinese flour in a bid to cut production costs and boost profits, China state media has reported this week.
DSM’s lipase enzyme from GM Aspergillus niger is set to be approved by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand, opening up opportunities for bakers to use it as a processing aid.
Cargill’s bid to buy Goodman Fielder’s edible fats and oils business looks to be scuppered by the Australian competition authorities, who say it would be an unacceptable concentration of refining assets in the country.
Emerging markets continue to attract both food processors and equipment suppliers, with AMF Bakery Systems, a leading supplier of bakery equipment in North America, recently expanding its footprint in the Asia Pacific region.
The globe’s two biggest food firms, Nestlé and Kraft, have launched internal investigations after a Greenpeace report claimed both purchase palm oil from Indonesian company PT Smart whose parent group Sinar Mas allegedly engages in widespread illegal...
Unilever has halted all purchases of palm oil from Indonesian company PT SMART after a Greenpeace report alleged that its parent group Sinar Mas is engaged in widespread illegal deforestation and peatland clearance in Indonesia.
Cargill has entered into an agreement to acquire the edible fats and oils business of Goodman Fielder in Australia and New Zealand, which it says will aid efficient future growth in the region.
Sweetener company PureCircle has raised $67.18m through share placing to invest in the development of its natural sweetener products made from stevia leaves.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has announced that as of Sunday, Australian bread makers must use folic acid-enriched flour to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns.
The New Zealand baking industry has said it will move towards a voluntary fortification of some breads with folic acid as the government is expected to delay plans for mandatory fortification.
The mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid in New Zealand is likely to be delayed for another three years, following heated debate over the risks and benefits of adding the synthetic B vitamin to bread.
The renowned World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit has been taking place since 2013 in London, San Francisco and São Paulo. Now launching in the Middle East,...
