Flavours and colours

Food in the Metaverse: Why APAC F&B brands need to keep up with Web 3.0 to accelerate growth

07-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands in the Asia Pacific region would do well to stay up-to-date with worldwide Web 3.0 transformations to accelerate business growth, especially when it comes to capturing younger consumers in the Metaverse.

Kerry’s 2023 Taste & Nutrition charts explore sriracha’s rise & guava, sesame, dulce de leche growth

01-Feb-2023 By Ryan Daily

After nearly two decades of first appearing in fast-food restaurants across the US and becoming a go-to favorite for spicy aficionados, sriracha today is not only an established flavor that many consumers love, but according to Kerry’s Taste & Nutrition...

Riding the Fourth Wave: NO HARM DONE’s eco-friendly coffee capsules blending tradition with innovation

30-Jan-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore eco-friendly coffee capsule brand NO HARM DONE says its newly introduced local-inspired coffee capsules, including Gula Melaka Kopi and Choco Kopi flavours, have been a hit with the domestic market, as it now seeks regional expansion.

Combo craze: ‘Contradictory’ flavour combinations rising in popularity among younger APAC consumers

10-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Younger consumers in APAC are increasingly seeking out food and beverage products that offer a combination of ‘contradictory’ flavours, according to experts in the region.

‘Not a shiny new toy’: How ofi’s new Singapore site will lead to ‘holy grail’ localised innovation

22-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Localisation strategies are crucial in order to achieve the ‘holy grail’ of food innovation in the Asia Pacific region, by combining health, taste and convenience, according to Olam outfit ofi.

Shelf-life and salt: Taste remains greatest barrier for sodium-reduced food products to move out of premium category

21-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Getting the taste right in sodium-reduced food products remains the biggest barrier to overcome in reformulation efforts, according to industry experts.

Safety over shelf-life: Thai consumer concerns over long expiry dates driving demand for clean label ingredients

16-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Rising awareness amongst Thai consumers regarding the potential unhealthy connotations associated with long expiry dates is a key factor driving up the demand for clean label food ingredients in the country, according to leading industry experts.

Paradoxical pressures: APAC consumers demanding both food indulgence and cost-savings

03-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Both indulgence and affordability are emerging as major APAC consumer demands for food and beverages today, leaving a manufacturers with a paradoxical challenge that can only be solved using innovation.

Limited access: Indonesia drafts new risk-based rules for imported processed foods

02-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Indonesia has decided to push ahead with plans to tighten regulations governing imported processed foods by introducing a risk-based assessment system.

Beyond just a trend: Policy measures further pushing Asian food colouring sector towards natural

27-Oct-2022 By Pearly Neo

Regulatory pressure from Asian governments will drive food and beverage firms to use natural colours, with it rapidly becoming less of a trend and more of a necessity.

Post-COVID-19 supply assurance: Stable natural colours crucial to guarantee consistent high-quality products

24-Oct-2022 By Pearly Neo

Guaranteeing the supply chain stability of natural colours to ensure manufacturers can be assured of product consistency has taken on extra importance in the post-COVID-19 era, claims GNT.

Trend tracking: Indonesian food firms need to accelerate product innovation and digital adaptation

19-Oct-2022 By Pearly Neo

Indonesian food and beverage firms have been urged to accelerate their new product innovation and digital adaptation to keep up with consumer demands, especially with multiple post-COVID-19 challenges still dampening the local economy.

Entering the lime-light: Chiangmai Bioveggie eyes wider ASEAN and Middle East with frozen juice

13-Oct-2022 By Pearly Neo

Thailand’s Chiangmai Bioveggie is focusing on exports for its single-ingredients frozen lime juice product, banking on the culinary heritage of limes in many Asian and Middle East markets, coupled with shelf-life benefits, for success.

2023 healthy food trends: Clean label and positive nutrition claims crucial for consumers

11-Oct-2022 By Pearly Neo

Consumers in the Asia Pacific region will continue to be strongly driven by products with clean label and positive nutrition claims moving into the new year, with food and beverage brands also set to boost innovation to meet these demands.

Bringing the heat: McCormick reveals spicy innovation key to snacking growth in Indonesia

04-Oct-2022 By Pearly Neo

Global flavours giant McCormick has revealed that product innovation with spicy flavours that can bring the heat is going to be key for snacking firms in Indonesia to achieve significant growth.

Spread bet: Singapore nut butter brand EATNUF aims for China, Malaysia markets in 2023

03-Oct-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Singapore natural nut butter brand EATNUF aims to enter China and Malaysia, besides diversifying its product portfolio, in 2023.

White beetle inspired natural pigment offers replacement for titanium dioxide

28-Sep-2022 By Nicola Gordon-Seymour

Cambridge-based biotech start-up, Impossible Materials, has developed a sustainable cellulose-derived white pigment to replace “unsafe” titanium dioxide (TiO2) across food and pharma industries.

APAC stevia trends: Dairy, traditional snacks providing growth alongside beverages

28-Sep-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Reformulation and new production development of dairy products, dried foods, bakery and snacks, along with beverages, are driving stevia growth in China and the wider Asia Pacific region, claims global ingredient firm Tate & Lyle.

Germinating growth: China alt protein scene increasingly competitive, but localisation key to success

26-Sep-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

China’s plant-based and cultured meat market is getting increasingly competitive, but industry collaboration and product localisation are going to be crucial if it is to become more ‘relevant’ to consumers.

Aliga Microalgae purchases new facility to scale chlorella

22-Sep-2022 By Katy Askew

Food technology company Aliga Microalgae progresses its plans to scale the microalgae ingredient, chlorella, as an alternative protein after buying an existing production facility in Holland.

Going green: Flavour enhancement products need to be both ‘clean label and clean energy’ for China and Middle East

21-Sep-2022 By Pearly Neo

Flavour enhancement products today need to not only cater to consumers’ clean label demands, but also be made using clean energy if firms wish to capitalise on the current wellness and sustainability trends that are on the rise in the China and Middle...

‘Beyond peanuts’: Olam seeks to improve low consumer awareness of alternative nut butters

12-Sep-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Olam says it is on a mission to improve low consumer awareness of ‘natural and sustainable’ alternative nut butters in Asia in a bid to open up new product development opportunities for the entire category.

Free trade failure: APAC leaders decline to prevent food export bans amid Russia-Ukraine crisis

12-Sep-2022 By Pearly Neo

APAC Ministers responsible for food security have failed to reach an agreement to prohibit countries from imposing food export bans, as the region continues to battle economic and supply uncertainties resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Drink risk: Higher intake of sweetened beverages linked to increased CVD mortality in younger adults – Study

22-Aug-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Daily consumption of two or more servings of sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to a 50% increase in cardiovascular disease mortality among younger adults aged 20 to 39.

Got your back: APAC consumers increasingly turning to ingredient lists first - ofi

18-Aug-2022 By Pearly Neo

Asia Pacific consumers are increasingly turning to the back of food packaging to check ingredient lists, before considering any front-of-pack health claims, with interest in clean label products seemingly gathering pace.

Scrapping ‘melting pot’ mentality: Flavour innovation in APAC food firms increasingly driven by culture and localisation

21-Jul-2022 By Pearly Neo

The flavour innovation process for brands in the APAC region is being increasingly driven by culture and localisation, with many of the region’s bigger food firms already grasping the importance of this trend.

Novel entry: Singapore white honey brand Al Honey targets South East Asia, Australia after Saudi backing

11-Jul-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Singapore brand Al Honey is planning its expansion in South East Asia and Australia over the next two years with its novel white honey product.

Diageo acquires flavor matching tech company Vivanda

05-Jul-2022 By Rachel Arthur

Diageo has acquired Vivanda, the owner of the technology behind Diageo’s digital ‘What’s Your Whisky’ online platform as well as the ‘Journey of Flavour’ experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh.

Flavored spirits: a big commercial opportunity - or could there be a catch?

23-Jun-2022 By Mike Spurling, co-founder, Barfly

Flavored spirits add a new dimension to the category - but could there be a catch? Mike Spurling, co-founder of drinks consultancy Barfly, looks at the category.

Local flavour, global appeal: Singapore’s Melvados aims to expand with fusion snack offerings

16-May-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Consumers are increasingly demanding more information about ingredients and traceability in the booming East-West fusion food category, that spans everything from pandan nuts to kaya ice cream.

Securing Singapore? Scale of city state’s food security 2030 challenge underlined by new data

04-May-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

The scale of Singapore’s challenge to achieve 30% food self-sufficiency by 2030 has been underlined by new data released by the city state’s national food agency.

Visual appeal and clean label crucial for APAC brands wanting to follow Coca-Cola’s red beverage launch

21-Apr-2022 By Pearly Neo

Beverage manufacturers in the Asia Pacific region wanting to follow Coca-Cola’s lead by launching red-coloured beverages need to offer products that both fulfil the visual appeal, as well as clean label demands of consumers.

Innovation in tradition: Singapore bird’s nest firm introduces sachet form to capture millennials, Gen-Zs

13-Apr-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

A Singapore bird’s nest pioneer is experimenting with a new format and production techniques to make the traditional Asian health product relevant to younger consumers.

Beyond pea and soy: Asia’s foodtech space awash with novel plant-based proteins – experts

12-Apr-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Asia’s foodtech start-ups are increasingly innovating beyond soy and pea in the plant-based space, with several firms catching the eye of regional experts.

Enforcement action: South Korea cracks down on use of butterfly pea flowers in foods and beverages

11-Apr-2022 By Pearly Neo

South Korea has cracked down on the use of butterfly pea flowers in foods and beverages, stating that consumption of the colourant is unsafe due to a lack of food safety data.

Tax attack? Aussie beverage sector fights back against government threat of price hikes

06-Apr-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

The Australian beverage sector has hit out at veiled warnings of price increases and tax hikes for soft drinks detailed in the country’s latest obesity strategy, claiming that such policy measures are ineffective.

Passing the taste test: Nestle chief on strategies for success with healthy product innovation

21-Mar-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Maintaining price parity and maximising taste are two key priorities when formulating healthy and plant-based products, according to exclusive insights revealed by Nestle’s Malaysia and Singapore CEO Juan Aranols.

Ice cold nostalgia: India’s Skippi revamps popsicle category with healthy ingredients

15-Mar-2022 By Pearly Neo

India’s first ice popsicle brand Skippi has revamped the traditional local category with the use of healthier ingredients and national exposure via the popular reality show Shark Tank, vowing to achieve nationwide penetration within the next six months.

The spice is right: Nestle Malaysia highlights how hot flavours are driving instant noodle popularity

19-Jan-2022 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia has revealed how instant noodles have successfully sustained continued popularity throughout the pandemic and beyond due to in-home consumption trends, and long-time favourite brand MAGGI’s ability to innovate within the spicy flavours...

Kiwifruit modernisation: Chinese firm establishes R&D centre to develop sector alongside government’s 2035 vision

17-Jan-2022 By Pearly Neo

China Shenshan Orchard Holdings (China Shenshan) has established a specialised R&D centre focusing wholly on kiwifruit innovation and the modernisation of the sector, in accordance with the local government’s 2035 vision for agri-food development.

Cross-border caution: South Korea expands food safety guidelines to include e-commerce sales

11-Jan-2022 By Pearly Neo

South Korea has expanded its food safety and monitoring guidelines to tighten control over food and beverage products that are directly purchased by consumers from foreign countries, with implications for items bought via e-commerce.

Five need-to-know regulations on the agenda to impact the APAC food industry in 2022

31-Dec-2021 By Pearly Neo

From new hemp regulations in India, to Singapore’s sugary beverage control policy, and plant-based labelling in multiple countries, we bring you five must-know policies and regulations that look set to have a significant impact on the Asia Pacific food...

‘A peach is not just a peach’: IFF highlights importance of flavour localisation within APAC

20-Dec-2021 By Pearly Neo

Ingredients and flavours specialist IFF has stressed the importance of localising flavour profiles - even for the same food item - depending on the geographical market of focus within APAC.

‘Translating trends’: McCormick to use foodservice flavour learnings for retail product innovation in new Aussie HQ

01-Dec-2021 By Pearly Neo

McCormick is hoping to apply the trends it has discovered from global and foodservice markets into innovating new flavour products for retail in Australia, on the back of its new local HQ being launched next year.

ASEAN food safety harmonisation: Codex standards best way forward for region to reach consensus – UNFAO expert

09-Nov-2021 By Pearly Neo

Employing the use of Codex standards is crucial to achieving consensus for food safety standards harmonisation within the South East Asian region, according to a food safety expert from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO).

Spicing things up: 80-year-old Australian ginger firm looks to draw in new consumer groups with novel product innovation

02-Nov-2021 By Pearly Neo

Eighty-year-old Australian ginger firm Buderim Ginger is looking to widen its horizons into the finished product space with NPD spanning sweets, cordial, beer and more.

Quirky innovation: Nissin creates dual flavoured cup noodles and soda series to mark 50th year

13-Oct-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Japanese cup noodle pioneers Nissin is launching dual-flavoured products that can also be washed down with a cup-noodle flavoured soda range, as it marks the brand’s 50th anniversary this year.

The Pantone of flavours: Taste-based profiling tech vows to redefine flavour industry and boost NPD

16-Sep-2021 By Pearly Neo

A food tech firm making advances in Asia is aiming to redefine the flavour industry by focusing on taste as a never-before-used parameter, which has enormous potential to help food and beverage manufacturers boost product development and productivity...

Givaudan-Biosyntia partnership to convert sugar into natural flavour ingredients

13-Sep-2021 By Lynda Searby

Under a new collaboration agreement, flavours and fragrances giant Givaudan and Danish biotech firm Biosyntia are jointly exploring the use of fermentation technology for developing natural flavouring ingredients.

‘A major milestone for the food industry …’ FDA approves Sensient’s ‘exceptionally heat-stable’ natural blue food color from butterfly pea flower

08-Sep-2021 By Elaine Watson

The FDA has approved an aqueous extract of the blue petals of butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternatea) – a plant native to Southeast Asia – as a color additive exempt from certification following a petition from Sensient Technologies, which described...