Bulla Dairy Foods’ decision to shift its popular ice cream Choc Tops from a cinema foodservice-style distribution format to a ‘shelf-ready’ product for Coles supermarkets during the COVID-19 lockdown in Australia enabled the brand to continue successful...
Australia’s implementation of the revised Health Star Ratings (HSR) system is on track with a focus on sugar and sodium reduction via a new nutrient calculator, as well as plans for 70% of industry uptake, the Australian Department of Health has confirmed.
The China Food Tech Hub, which aims to forge close ties between MNCs and start-ups, is adding three new members to its consortium this year, including big names such as Nestle, Ajinomoto and Barilla’s Blu1877.
China’s COVID-19 focus has taken a clear food-related shift with a decided focus on stepping up food import regulations, despite this putting it at odds with foreign food firms and governments arguing against the probability of food-related virus spread.
Food and beverage companies should place more focus on building branding and reputational value as a core business strategy in order to accelerate growth and sustain it in a post-COVID-19 era, according to expert advice.
Big brands can no longer rely on their heavyweight clout for food business success in Australia, with consumers and retailers increasingly attracted to smaller ‘underdog’ start-ups, which they perceive to be more innovative
Australian food and beverage companies making the shift to or adding e-commerce platforms to their businesses must carefully manage any new risk profiles – or run the risk of cyber attacks similar to those recently experienced by the country’s largest...
Many big food and beverage companies in Malaysia have made commitments to improve product and population nutrition, but researchers have found these to be ‘weak’, ‘non-specific’ and lacking in comprehensiveness.
Fresh milk dispensers and reusable glass bottles are being introduced into grocery stores in New Zealand following calls from shoppers for milk brands to ditch plastic bottles.
China has revealed microbial contamination, excessive food additives and excessive drug residues to be the major food safety challenges that the country is facing, based on data from the government-administered 2019 National Food Safety Inspections.
China’s ‘milk bars’ have been issued with new guidelines that place them under stricter regulatory control, with a stronger focus on maintaining the freshness and safety of products as dairy consumption in the country grows.
Snacks giant Mondelez has launched a new logo for all of its Cadbury Dairy Milk products, with the global brand refresh first rolled out via returning fan favourite Cadbury Dairy Milk Marble in Australia.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, food and beverage adulteration has continued unhindered in Pakistan with authorities having had to seize and discard thousands of units of dairy, fruits, spices and other items despite continuing food supply fears...
South Korea has moved to temporarily relax regulatory measures for food imports in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, particularly concentrating on documentation and labelling requirements to prevent delays in custom clearance.
Disputes over Indonesia’s controversial omnibus law have taken a food-related turn, with various stakeholders now clashing over whether this will cause imported foods to be favoured over local supply, as well as the potentially negative impacts this will...
India’s food safety regulatory body Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has insisted that the public need not be concerned about food safety in the country despite a lack of laboratory staff to do food safety testing due to COVID-19 lockdowns...
New Zealand has emphasised Asia as its key target market in terms of food and beverage in a new industry guide released by the government, which hopes to attract increased investment into the sector.
Consumers in Saudi Arabia have drastically ramped-up their online purchases of food products in the the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, new data reveals.
Malaysia-based biotech firm Holista CollTech has developed a new sugar formulation which is more intense, low-calorie and low-GI in hope of helping F&B companies reformulate products more effectively, especially in Singapore and Malaysia where government...
Several countries in the South East Asian region have moved to impose extended lockdowns, export bans and other heightened trade barriers in response to continued widespread COVID-19 infection rates within the region, posing a very real risk for food...
Food safety and export continuity have emerged as the biggest concerns for the food industries in Australia and New Zealand as lockdowns in the region continue, with the various food sectors attempting to allay public concerns.
Pakistan has enforced an import tax on sugar entering the country, adding another layer of complexity to the country’s ongoing war between sugar cane farmers and sugar mills.
The F&B manufacturing sector has been classified as an ‘essential service’ by many APAC countries in as COVID-19 lockdowns are imposed, enabling factories to continue producing food supplies – but this has not been seen in some places which need the...
Indian beverage start-up GoliSoda is targeting 250% growth this year, and is banking on its ‘ancient wisdom’-inspired drink range, as well as diversification of its product portfolio to include traditional desserts for success.
A new Singapore study claims to have disproved the ‘urban myth’ that an Asian diet is healthier than a Western one, especially in terms of saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Economy has revealed a new initiative to reduce the prices of 5,000 food and supermarket goods with discounts ranging between 25% to 60% as the Ramadan month draws near.
The Philippines is developing local reference standards to raise the quality control and monitoring of exported food products, and as such reduce the probability of these being rejected overseas and resulting in forced recalls.
Food and beverage companies in Indonesia have cited government regulations as the major factor for reformulation, in a country where 28% of the adult population is overweight, 22% is obese, and 35% of deaths are caused by cardiovascular disease.
There is currently a “mismatch” between the amount of halal food imported into Malaysia and the quantity it exports that needs to be addressed, according to Jamil Bidin, the recently retired chief executive of the agency charged with promoting the country’s...
The government of Pakistan’s most-populated province, Punjab, is trying to halt the ongoing ‘sugar wars’ in the country between sugarcane millers and growers by raising the maximum penalty for illegal dealings by 10,000%.
China’s appetite for durians has been on the rise over the past few years, and its status as the top export destination for major durian-producing countries worldwide such as Malaysia and Thailand does not look likely to significantly waiver any time...
The popularity of ruby chocolate is skyrocketing amongst local and international confectionery and bakery companies alike in Japan, with a further boom expected ahead of Valentine’s Day .
Plant-based products have recently come under fire for potential negative health and environmental effects, but much of this has so far gone more or less unnoticed and/or unmentioned by its proponents, it has been claimed.
In this episode of our Food and Beverage Trailblazers podcast, we speak to the CEO and Co-founder of Singapore-based artificial intelligence company AI Palette Somsubhra Ganchoudhuri (Som) about using AI for food product innovation, and making the switch...
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is looking to implement stricter mandatory allergen labelling regulations in both countries, particularly surrounding aspects such as clarity, consistency and prominence, and has opened this proposal to public...
South Korea plans to focus on five major sectors within the local food industry and give these a ‘vitality boost’ as part of its 2030 target to double the value of the sector.
Three years after Singapore officially launched its War on Diabetes campaign, with the aim of ‘mobilising the whole nation’ to tackle the condition, we assess how the food and beverage industry has been a key ally in the battle.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has revealed the scientific basis behind how it plans to work with the food industry to develop the regulation system in Australia and New Zealand until 2023.
Many big F&B brands in India have been making the shift towards the responsible labelling of products, but this is still lacking in smaller local companies – a situation that might be helped by implementing better and stricter labels and regulations,...
We take a look at the five top trends that look set to shape the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry in 2020, from fortification to cell-based development to sustainability and more.
Foreign food companies seeking registration approval for both plant and animal products in China will need to pass the review of two ‘expert panels’ formed by selected customs officers, as recently emphasised by an updated set of regulations published...
China has published a new list of products that can be accepted for organic certification, which has been enforced with immediate effect. A set of revised organic certification regulations is set to follow by January 1, 2020.
The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has announced tightened food labelling and advertisement standards in a move to strengthen the country’s Food Labelling and Advertising Act, with sugar and other ‘negative content’ claims receiving...
Here's a recap of our 10 most-read F&B stories in November 2019, including Nestle paper straws, Mondelez's Caramilk return, plant-based in Thailand and more.
The New Zealand government has finally responded to the country’s Food and Beverage Industry Taskforce on Addressing Factors Contributing to Obesity’s report and its list of 51 recommendations.