Convenience foods and snacks

Review of the year

Asia-Pacific in 2014: A year of scandals, soul searching and success

22-Dec-2014 By RJ Whitehead

The last 12 months have been turbulent for much of Asia-Pacific's food industry, with regulations, legislation, markets and partnerships continuing to develop in the latest step in the region's economic development.To mark a fascinating year...

Japan

Japanese ‘mega potato’ wiped out by McDonald’s' Far East spud shortage

22-Dec-2014 By RJ Whitehead

McDonald’s customers in Japan are facing life with smaller fry portions to go with their red snow crab croquette burgers as the company attempts to sort out problems with the potato supply chain that links its two biggest markets.

Case study

Chinese street food chain makes a ‘bing’ impression in Australia

11-Dec-2014 By Jack Baldwin

Combining a popular Chinese street food with a modern franchise model has turned out well for a South Australian entrepreneur with a solid business plan.

Australia

As Aussie as Croc Dundee, though Asian-born are not taking to Vegemite

10-Dec-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Barrack Obama isn’t the only non-Australian to find Vegemite “horrible… a quasi-vegetable by-product that you smear on your toast”, with research showing that the yeast extract is overwhelmingly more popular among people born in Australia than than almost...

Euromonitor: India snacks hold explosive growth promise for ingredients

03-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

 Ingredients suppliers should target India’s sweet and savory snacks sector because it’s untapped and brimming with potential, says Euromonitor International.

Tate & Lyle backs fibre to battle Asian bulge

30-Oct-2014

Tate & Lyle used the recent Food Ingredients-Asia trade event in Jakarta as a springboard for its mounting ambitions in the country of 250 million people as well as other parts of Asia. Fibre and low-calorie sweeteners for weight control were a big...

India

BK to finally enter the Indian market after months of speculation

28-Oct-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Burger King will open its first stores in India in the next couple of months, with New Delhi, NCR and Mumbai each on the waiting list for restaurants.

Hydrocyanic acid forces recall of Tapioca chips

24-Oct-2014 By Joseph James Whitworth

Resmi International has recalled Manjilas Tapioca Chips Spicy in Australia due to high levels of hydrocyanic acid.

Frito-Lay Japan develops flurry of limited edition snacks

15-Oct-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Frito-Lay Japan has developed an array of limited edition snacks for October, from avocado and cheese tortilla chips to burdock and soy flavored extruded snacks.

McDonald’s Japan revises finances following food safety scandal

08-Oct-2014 By Oli Haenlein

McDonald’s Holdings Japan has revised its financial forecasts to take into account a damaging incident earlier this year, in which workers from supplier Shanghai Husi were filmed picking meat off the floor and using out-of-date beef and chicken.

New Zealand

Sporty kids being bombarded with junk food ads in New Zealand

07-Oct-2014 By Andrew Schreiber

Kiwi kids are being bombarded with junk food advertising and their parents often feel powerless to combat this, according to new research released at the NZ Population Health Conference in Auckland today.

Australia

Australia’s manufacturers still not fully on board with salt reduction

19-Sep-2014 By Andrew Schreiber

A review of the Food and Health Dialogue, the Australian Government’s flagship initiative to improve the healthiness of the country’s food supply, has showed mixed results in efforts to reduce salt content.

Entrepreneur interview: Sanjiv Kakkar, managing director of Himalaya International

Himalaya International: Indian food hasn’t taken off because there’s no standard of identity

15-Sep-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

The flavors of Asia have no doubt made their mark on American palates—as Chinese, Japanese and Thai influences have made their way from niche to mainstream retail and foodservice outlets. Even tiny Malaysia appears to be moving up the ranks of popular...

Weetabix unveils Alpen bars for Chinese market

12-Sep-2014 By Lynda Searby

Alpen bars targeting busy professionals are the first Weetabix products to be formulated specifically for the Chinese market, following the UK company’s majority buy-out by Chinese conglomerate Bright Foods in 2012.

Australia

Rat study finds how memories of junk food can change eating behaviour

02-Sep-2014 By RJ Whitehead

A diet of junk food not only makes rats fat, but also reduces their drive to seek a balanced diet, according to researchers in Sydney.

NEWS SHORT

Indian government urges PepsiCo to cut soda sugar levels

02-Sep-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

The Indian government has urged PepsiCo boss Indra Nooyi to cut sugar levels in soft drinks further and launch more healthy and nutritious products.

India

PepsiCo to double investment in Indian snacks

27-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

PepsiCo chairman Indra Nooyi has pledged to double the company’s investment in its Indian food processing operation to add to the sizeable sums it has already spent in the country.

Australia

Maggie Beer forced to amend misleading labels after ACCC wins action

20-Aug-2014 By Richard Whitehead

The celebrity chef at the centre of an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ruling on misleading labelling has apologised to consumers and claimed the transgression was an innocent mistake.

Cash rich and time poor, more Australians opt for ready meals

13-Aug-2014 By Richard Whitehead

The number of Australians opting for frozen or chilled ready-meals continues to grow, according to new figures from Roy Morgan Research.

Kellogg launches Special K Nourish in Australia

11-Aug-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Kellogg has launched Special K Nourish in Australia – a three-grain cold cereal variety that marks part of its 2014 brand revamp.

China

China to claim second most valuable bakery and cereals market by 2018

07-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

The Chinese bakery and cereals market, which is already the world’s largest in volume, is set to become the second most valuable by 2018 as more urban dwellers consume pick-me-up snacks on-the-go. 

Healthy snacking: Asian consumers want tangible nutrition, says Taura

01-Aug-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Healthy snacking is exploding in Asia and consumers want nutrition they can see and taste, says Taura Natural Ingredients.

New Zealand

Taura claims its fruit pieces are the world's smallest

30-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Kiwi fruit products company Taura Natural Ingredients has introduced what it claims is possibly the world’s smallest real fruit pieces.

Pecans: America's forgotten nut?

29-Jul-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Pecans are not top of mind for US manufacturers and ingredient players but the antioxidant-rich nuts can move way beyond the famous pie, says the head of Georgia’s Center for Pecan Innovation.

India

Relatively new heat-and-eat segment to nearly treble by 2019

29-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Although still young and relatively small, India’s heat-and-eat food industry is in the midst of tremendous growth that will see its size nearly treble by 2019, according to new research.

“The IEA does not accept state money, and all of our research is independent of corporate funding.”

UK think tank denies Malaysian palm oil conflict of interest accusations

28-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has said categorically it does not accept state money, following accusations by a Malaysian media outlet that the UK think tank is in bed with the Malaysian Palm Oil Council and the country’s government.

China

General manager and quality control boss arrested in Husi scandal

25-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

One of the five employees arrested in China’s latest food-safety scandal has been named as the general manager of the US-owned Shanghai Husi Foods operation, while another is the head of its quality control department, police have revealed.

Philippine food major buys New Zealand snack firm Griffin’s

22-Jul-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Universal Robina Corporation (URC) has snapped up New Zealand snack giant Griffin’s Foods for NZ$700m ($606.6m) in a move it says should bolster its presence in the Asian snack sector.

South Korea allows mealworms as a food ingredient

21-Jul-2014 By Richard Whitehead

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety have given a green light to the use of mealworms as a food ingredient.

China

McDonald’s, KFC apologise in China’s latest food safety scare

21-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Allegations concerning the sale of expired meat by American-owned Shanghai Husi Food to the Chinese operations of McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut have forced the fast food chains to suspend orders while the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration investigates.

Want Want China to add some 50 products to its snack line in 2014

07-Jul-2014 By Anna Bonar

Chinese snack titan Want Want will extend its product line this year after strengthening its position in China.

Pasta Montana: 'Japanese customers only accept zero-defect products'

19-Jun-2014 By Jenni Spinner

Pasta Montana, which produces primarily for exacting food customers in Japan, has installed a Key Technology sorter.

Granola: A sophisticated breakfast win in Japan

09-Jun-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Granola has boomed in Japan because of its health promise and versatility and Western cereal firms could cash in further by playing up the trendy aspect, says a Datamonitor Consumer analyst.

Australia

Scientists link poor pre-pregnancy diet with premature birth

26-May-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Women trying to become pregnant should avoid junk food after scientists discovered the link between poor diet and an increased risk of giving birth prematurely. 

India

Fast food chains queue up for battle in India’s secondary cities

13-May-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Indian middle-class households in the hinterland are now spending over twice as much on fast food feeds as they did just two years ago, according to figures released by Assocham.

Australia

Data suggests Australians are growing up as junk food junkies

12-May-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Young Australians are consuming more soft drinks, burgers and chips than ever before, according to a report released today from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

DISPATCHES FROM VITAFOODS EUROPE 2014

Laboratoire PYC eyes Asia with high-protein soya crisps

09-May-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Laboratoire PYC wants to expand its high-protein soya crisps into Asia and has started flavor development for the market, its marketing head says.

Digging into innovation & NPD with Datamonitor consumer

Black cereal: How to make a splash in China

05-May-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Black ingredients are considered healthier in China and black breakfast cereals are making a debut splash in the market; a trend Western companies should take note of, says a Datamonitor researcher.

Hard and crunchy = fewer calories?

21-Apr-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

Consumers perceive foods that are either hard or have a rough texture as having fewer calories, says a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Yogurt and cereal: The new snap, crackle and pop?

04-Apr-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Kellogg Australia reckons there’s a new breakfast cereal trend afloat as consumers replace traditional milk with yogurt or fruit juice, but Mintel’s innovation head says this is nothing new.

General Mills ramps up palm oil pledge to consider deforestation

25-Mar-2014 By Kacey Culliney

General Mills has strengthened its pledge to source fully traceable palm oil by next year, with explicit focus on counteracting deforestation.

Indian start-up targets global snacks with high protein, price stable quinoa

18-Mar-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Snack makers should consider sourcing quinoa from India where the exotica strain is sweeter, higher in protein and sells at a stable, lower price, says the managing director of Ashtral Biotech.

Court-appointed panel split over junk food ban near schools

12-Mar-2014 By Ankush Chibber

Banning junk food near schools, one of India’s biggest and long-running public health issues, seems like it will continue some more after industry officials and health activists on a court–appointed panel were unable to forge a common direction. 

Which profession is the worst offender for snacking ‘al desko’?

26-Feb-2014 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

A third of all snacking takes place at our desks and marketing professionals top the unhealthy table, with lawyers at the bottom, according to UK research from yogurt brand Fruyo.

Kellogg CEO: We integrated Pringles flawlessly

21-Feb-2014 By Kacey Culliney

The acquisition of Pringles back in 2012 has tripled the scale of Kellogg in some emerging markets – completely changing the nature of business, its CEO says.

Nestlé expands Papua New Guinea operation

19-Feb-2014

Nestlé Australia has unveiled the first stage of an A$9.5m (US$8.6m) expansion at its factory in Papua New Guinea, a project that will create an additional 75 jobs.

Special K Australia eyes ‘healthier direction’ after slashing salt

18-Feb-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Kellogg Australia has reduced the sodium content of its Special K cereals by 15% in a recipe overhaul and says it will take a new, healthier direction in 2014.

Kellogg revamps palm oil policy after months of protests

17-Feb-2014 By Kacey Culliney

The Kellogg Company has pledged to source fully traceable palm oil by the end of next year, a move that has been welcomed by NGOs that have been fighting for the cereal giant to change its policies for months.

DIGGING INTO INNOVATION & NPD WITH DATAMONITOR CONSUMER

Green tea cereal: The next big nutritional punch at breakfast

17-Feb-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Green tea has migrated from hot drinks into other foods over the years but has particular promise in breakfast cereal where manufacturers can pack nutritional punch into weight-loss products, says a Datamonitor researcher.

Academics call for ban on child-facing junk food advertising

10-Feb-2014 By RJ Whitehead

A ban on manipulative junk food advertising to children is urgently needed to help fight increasing rates of childhood obesity, say University of Otago Wellington researchers.