Confectionery

FIT-ter KIDS: Fortified products key to addressing APAC micronutrient gaps – Nestle at Growth Asia Summit

04-Oct-2023 By Pearly Neo

New Nestle data has revealed the major micronutrient gaps faced by many toddlers and school-age children in the Asia Pacific region, as well as the important role that fortified foods and beverages can play in addressing these needs.

‘A natural journey’: Freshness and clean label crucial combo to nail flavours in processed foods

03-Oct-2023 By Pearly Neo

The crucial combination of freshness and clean label is emerging as an important flavour strategy that food and beverage brands need to hit in order to cater to APAC consumers’ increasingly exacting demands.

Food label changes: Philippines updates policies governing sodium limits and caloric labelling in pre-packaged food products

02-Oct-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Philippines Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has announced new changes to sodium content limits and how caloric values are to be displayed on the packaging of pre-packaged processed food products in the country.

Organic ownership: India food authority orders upgrades for all state labs to boost exports

27-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) is attempting to balance plans for boost organic food exports with ongoing food safety concerns by mandating all state-authorised laboratories to adopt organic testing capabilities.

Food manufacturing in Saudi Arabia: National targets and ‘gender inclusivity’ propelling industry to new heights

26-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

National government support of food manufacturing localisation targets as well as the gradual rise of female leadership roles in the industry are serving as key factors behind Saudi Arabia’s rapid food industry growth in the Middle Eastern region, claim...

Seizing the senses: Diversification and hybrid innovation key to boosting APAC plant-based sector

25-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The plant-based industry in Asia Pacific will need to further boost product diversification and hybrid innovation strategies it is to continue to grow amid a slowdown in the West.

Using their loaf: Collaboration is key to breaking niche for upcycled foods in Asia – Brewerkz, Baker & Cook

20-Sep-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore-based companies Brewerkz and Baker & Cook envision upcycled foods to be a major trend in the next few years, with collaboration between F&B manufacturers playing a crucial role in raising awareness and uptake of such products.

GM foods in South Korea: Government calls for ‘scientific input only’ in new public consultation for three food items

13-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has opened three food safety reports on genetically modified soybean, corn and canola for public comment, with the caveat that all opinions submitted must be ‘based on science and logic’ or risk being ignored.

Who will pay? APAC cocoa industry says EU Deforestation Regulation could create ‘two-tier market’

12-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The cocoa and chocolates industry in Asia Pacific is concerned that the EU Deforestation Regulation could lead a two-tier market for cocoa beans, which could have far-ranging cost and pricing implications.

Stricter labelling plan: Taiwan doubles down on prepackaged food nutritional claims

11-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

Taiwanese authorities are doubling down in efforts to restrict nutritional labelling claims on prepackaged foods.

Kellogg leaders plan to grow market share with infrastructure modernization, additional merchandising

08-Sep-2023 By Ryan Daily

Leaders of Kellogg Co.’s soon-to-be divided businesses plan to grow their respective entities by modernizing infrastructure to support additional innovation and returning to near pre-pandemic merchandising levels.

‘Long-awaited’ result: New Zealand food sector welcomes new Grocery Code but devil is in the detail

06-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand food trade body has welcomed the government’s new Grocery Code of Conduct, calling it a ‘long-awaited’ result – but stressed that a thorough examination of the details and industry education are now key to ensure it fulfils its purpose.

Thailand prepackaged food labelling: New rules proposed for expiry dates and allergen warnings

04-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand could be set to revamp its rules around expiration dates and allergen warnings after regulator Thai Food and Drug Association (FDA) issued draft proposals for prepackaged foods

‘Unpuzzling’ Asia’s food trends: Twin demands for health and affordability key for success

31-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands looking to make inroads into Asia need to tread the line between growing health consciousness and increasing consumer concerns over costs.

‘One bag is not a sin’: Haribo pushes halal and multipack strategies to boost growth

28-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Gummy industry leader Haribo is pushing its halal and multipack strategies to drive growth amid regulatory and economic headwinds.

Singapore’s REVIT looks to carve a niche with gummies amid rising competition in anti-hangover category

28-Aug-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore-based REVIT is eyeing a bigger market share in the anti-hangover category with its gummy product, on the back of sales numbers that have been tripling month-on-month since its launch in January this year.

Volatile variability: Unilever India stresses caution for food business despite positive growth

14-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has highlighted it will be proceeding cautiously in managing its food business for the rest of the year despite positive results in Q2FY2023, citing continued volatile climate changes and inflationary pressures.

Mitigating supply chain risks: Alternative sourcing and top-level food sector commitment key to boost resilience – Nestle, Rabobank

09-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage business leaders in Asia need to issue clear and committed directives for supply chain resilience and secure alternative sourcing regimes to mitigate future disruption risks.

Bio boost: Why bio-manufacturing crucial to building lasting eco-friendly food supply in APAC – Tidetron Bioworks

08-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

China’s Tidetron Bioworks believes that synthetic bio-manufacturing is growing to be a crucial component of the food and beverage industry based rising demand for sustainable raw materials both in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

Palm oil replacement ‘not the answer’: Nestle taps satellite tech for sustainability amid EU Deforestation Regulation debate

07-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle has voiced support for the continued use of palm oil in the food and beverage sector amid intense debate surrounding the recently-enacted EU Deforestation Regulation, while also striving to guarantee its supply chain sustainability using advance...

Sweet surprises: 50-year-old Boonprasert Confectionery boosts format and functional innovation to meet new consumer needs

03-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand’s Boonprasert Confectionery is evolving its innovation strategy to focus on the development of novel formats and functional offerings to meet changing consumer needs in and out of its home market.

Easing customs congestion: Thai FDA launches express digital service to accelerate processing of F&B imports

01-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand is the latest Asian market to establish a fully digitalised express customs processing service, which is hoped to greatly accelerate food and beverage import operations at its checkpoints in line with the national Thailand 4.0 strategy.

Positive push: Format and flavour innovation drives Nestle Malaysia Q2 back to profitability

31-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia says extensive format and flavour innovations in its product development have helped d drive healthy Q2FY2023 business growth, giving the firm renewed confidence in its ability to secure a profitable rest of the year.

Japan GM foods: 2022 data highlights ‘continued stability’ of genetically modified crops locally – government study

26-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

New Japanese government data has found that local genetically modified (GM) food crops have shown no evidence of posing risk to surrounding biodiversity in the past year, strengthening the argument for these to become a bigger part of the local food supply.

Nutritional labelling aid: South Korea issues guidance document to help F&B manufacturers align with new guidelines

25-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has released a nutritional information guidance document in line with new labelling and reporting regulations to assist food and beverage manufacturers throughout the initial phase of transition.

Catchy luxury: Patchi Singapore highlights strict supply chain and storage management crucial to maintain chocolate superiority

25-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Lebanese chocolatier Patchi has entered the Singaporean market via local partner FJ Benjamin, and the brand has revealed strict supply chain and storage management as crucial to maintaining the premium quality of its chocolates.

China a ‘trap’ for F&B brands? Why practicality and sustainability need to be top of mind to thrive – expert panel

25-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage firms in China need to ensure that practicality and business sustainability are kept at the top of their agenda in order to avoid the ‘trap’ of easy brand building in the world’s most populous market.

A ‘momentous’ occasion: New Zealand food sector urges swift grocery code of conduct implementation following commissioner appointment

24-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand food and grocery industry has urged for the swift establishment of its own local grocery code of conduct to hasten the improvement of competition and fair business conditions, whilst also lauding the appointment of industry veteran Pierre...

High ranks, low scores? India State Food Safety Index data reveals lack of compliance even in top performing states

17-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Date from India’s latest State Food Safety Index (SFSI) conducted annually by the Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has revealed that many states still perform poorly across the assessment criteria, even amongst its top scoring states.

Enhancing efficiency: South Korea further refines imported food regulations to speed up customs processing

11-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has implemented further refinements to its regulations governing imported food products an effort to speed up processing at customs, particularly for bulk imports. well as to boost its international trade.

Slashing the SKUs: Guylian trims vast portfolio while increasing dark chocolate focus in APAC

11-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Premium chocolatier brand Guylian has moved to streamline its portfolio to ‘improve focus’, while simultaneously expanding its dark chocolate offerings.

Will AI make human roles obsolete? Three major concerns about the use of AI in food production

10-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

There are three major concerns about the use of AI in the food industry, with the majority of benefits at present related to market research and advertising strategies – as evidenced by Coca-Cola – according to an industry expert.

Purchasing patterns: Packaged foods lead Chinese consumer spending in 2022

05-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Instant noodles and premium products led strong growth in China’s packaged food sector throughout 2022 - but significant inflationary price hikes mean that this continuous growth is unlikely for 2023, according to a new local report.

Herbaceous delights: Ricola riding sugar-free candy popularity wave in APAC to draw health conscious consumers

27-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Candy specialist Ricola is benefitting from the growing popularity of sugar-free candies in APAC after ‘quietly’ undergoing a significant reformulation process and despite not shouting about it from the rooftops.

Food supply safety: Australia sees lowest rate of allergen-related product recalls in close to a decade – government data

26-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

A new Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) report has revealed that food and beverage products recalled from shelves in Australia last year due to allergen concerns have reached the lowest rate the country has seen in almost a decade.

Nutritional labelling catch-up: Vietnam moves to implement mandatory regulations and align with international standards

21-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Vietnam has moved to implement regulations that will mandate the display of nutritional labelling according to national standards on all qualifying food and beverage products in the country, progressing from its previous voluntary labelling system.

Country-of-origin labelling: South Korea seeks public opinion on standardising label requirements for food products

13-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

South Korea is looking to standardise the regulations governing country-of-origin information mandatory to be displayed food and beverages both produced locally and imported into the country, in an attempt to ease high cost burdens highlighted by manufacturers.

Colourful crunch: Ritter Sport bets on prominent packaging and textures to overcome low APAC chocolate consumption rates

13-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Chocolate specialist Ritter Sport believes that a focus on prominent packaging and experiential textures is important to overcome the challenge of lower chocolate consumption rates in the Asia Pacific region.

Turmeric hit: Haldy seeks to refresh mint market appeal across age groups with Ayurvedic-inspired products

06-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Singapore mint specialist firm Haldy recently hit the market with its turmeric-based, Ayurvedic-inspired mints, which it believes has the potential to appeal to both younger and older consumers alike.

Strengthening supplies: Japan looks to international food trade collaborations in latest bid to beef up food security

05-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Japan recently inked several new food trade agreements with the governments of Bangladesh and Canada as it seeks to improve food security in the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Cautious Chinese travellers: Food and beverage brands need to brush up on experience innovation to overcome sampling reluctance

31-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands with a stake in the travel retail space need to increase efforts to create novel retail experiences because cautious Chinese consumers are no longer as keen on sampling and tasting products.

FAO Exclusive Part I: MNCs have ‘huge responsibility’ to improve food supply diversification and nutrition

22-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Major food firms need to step up to the plate and ‘take a close look’ at their business models in order to help improve food supply diversity and nutritional value, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Chief Scientist has told us...

Guilt-free luxury: Consumer pursuit for healthy indulgence in the Middle East fuelling demand for clean label

18-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Middle Eastern consumers’ rising interest in foods and beverages that are healthy and indulgent, yet still easy to recognise, have led to increased demands for brands to focus on clean label ingredient lists, according to Olam Food Ingredients (ofi).

Healthier but scarier: Over half of Chinese consumers doubtful about safety of sweeteners– national survey

15-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Over half of all Chinese consumer still harbour doubts over the safety of both natural and artificial sweeteners on a regular basis, according to a recent nationwide survey.

Fortification for the future: Government role crucial to ensure widespread affordable nutrition via staple foods

10-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The role of governments is crucial to introduce affordable proper nutrition to mass consumers via the fortification of staple foods, particularly in countries with large populations such as India and China.

‘Samples Only’: Philippines FDA sets strict import guidelines for unregistered food products used for R&D

10-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration is implementing new strict import guidelines for food and beverage items that manufacturers want to use for R&D.

‘Far more than a snack’: Dole touts new Fruit Pops range for multiple consumption occasions

08-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Fruit specialist firm Dole says its new Fruit Pops range is ‘more than a snack’, highlighting multiple consumption occasions including deserts and even cocktails.

More than a buzzword: Net zero sustainability commitments must make business sense for food firms – expert panel

08-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The commitment to and achievement of net zero goals must make real business sense for food and beverage companies in the region in order to ensure these remain a key part of business operations as opposed to just fulfilling a trend.

Combating price sensitivity: Nestle Malaysia banks on new product innovation to battle through economic challenges

03-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia believes that its strong focus on continued new product innovation will help it combat ongoing global economic challenges and food commodity cost increases.

Keep them peeled: Aussie agri-giant GrainCorp sees scope for ‘healthier’ baking range growth in Asia

02-May-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Australian agribusiness giant GrainCorp is targeting Asia growth for its Pin and Peel baking products, with the firm hoping that it can ride on manufacturer demands for both healthier and cleaner ingredients.