Minimal processing and healthier formulation is key to achieving plant-based success in Asia, where health drivers trump sustainability concerns, according to a Thai brand that is blazing a trail in the category.
Singapore firm Nurasa is seeking to drive innovation in alternative proteins and nutritional options available to the seniors on the back of an ageing population in Singapore.
Brands manufacturing plant-based products in the APAC region have highlighted format innovation as a crucial factor in bringing down costs to a level that can satisfy local consumer demands in the short-to-mid term.
Perfect Day is teaming up with big players like Nestle and Unilever to broaden the applications of its whey protein, while leading new innovations through precision fermentation.
Thailand-based protein multinational CP Foods is targeting the full integration of blockchain technology for all products, after a successful introduction for pork and chicken.
The French dairy giant has become the world’s first food company to make a methane-specific climate pledge - but questions remain around how this ambition could be realized.
China plant-based meat brand Haofood believes that the versatility and affordability of its peanut-based products, as well as its clean labels, are key to attracting domestic consumers to the category.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has highlighted efforts to boost local food security as a key goal for the country to transform its food supply system in 2023, alongside the introduction of new taxation strategies to fund further innovation...
The booming plant-based sector requires further scientific, technological and regulatory improvements in order to address consumer concerns and increase its commercial sustainability, say researchers in China and the US.
Many South East Asian countries remain cautious and concerned over food insecurity and rising inflationary costs despite having seen stellar post-COVID-19 growth in multiple food categories.
Cultivated meat pioneers GOOD Meat believes a stronger ecosystem and more collaboration is needed to convince the wider industry and consumers of its transformative potential.
China is ramping up its efforts to move past the immense impacts COVID-19 has had on the country over the past three years, including removing all requirements for nucleic acid testing on frozen food imports and reducing tariffs.
New Zealand’s Opo Bio is seeking to help cultivated meat firms cut out a large portion of the initial legwork needed to procure and develop suitable cell lines, believing that this will take help encourage commercialisation and target the mainstream market.
The halal food and beverage sector in Thailand is ramping up its use of technology as a crucial tool to achieve ‘Halal Integrity’, and hopes to establish a halal blockchain platform within the next few years.
Cultivated meat pioneer Mosa Meat says it is still working to get full regulatory approvals to retail its cultivated meat in Singapore, despite the signing of a manufacturing agreement with Esco Aster for production in the Asian trade hub.
Australia has implemented more stringent regulations to govern imported retorted foods and beverages that contain meat, dairy or egg content, requiring an additional manufacturer’s declaration to be displayed prior to entry.
Plant-based protein consumption could contribute to better muscle health among the elderly population in China, although overall protein-intake recommendations are inadequate in counteracting muscle loss, say researchers.
The cultivated products sector still has a long road ahead in many markets in terms of regulatory processes, but this thorough vetting will lay a strong foundation of food safety and quality that will eventually yield benefits in terms of consumer trust...
China dairy firm Junlebao has launched a new milk powder targeted at supporting calcium absorption in middle and old-aged consumers, and hopes to rejuvenate the well-established category by improving bio-accessibility and bioavailability.
Plant-based brands need to slash salt levels by adopting a similar ‘reduce and replace’ strategy used by the sugar-sweetened beverage sector in order to ensure that consumers can reap health benefits of the trend, according to a nutrition expert.
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.
If you’re making cultivated meat in a bioreactor instead of a living, breathing animal, and you want to introduce it to consumers for the first time, what’s the best launch vehicle? A chicken nugget or fillet, a thin beef steak, a high-value item such...
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.
Cultivated meat pioneers GOOD Meat says that consumer awareness of such products is still relatively low in the Middle East, but that there is significant interest to purchase once they have been exposed to the concept.
The interest in cleaner and better-for-you snacks shown by big food and beverage brands, including Mondelez, Nestle and Vitasoy, is paving the way for a new specialised area of plant-based proteins to enter the market, namely the RuBisCo leaf protein.
Increasingly challenging consumer demands for products that can satisfy both taste and convenience needs are accelerating format and flavour innovation within the ready-to-cook (RTC) foods sector, according to Tyson’s APAC VP.
Nutrient quality in plant-based beverages should be considered on a par with sustainability credentials, researchers say as they assessed the quality as well as quantity of micronutrients in common plant-based drinks.
Seafood heavyweight Thai Union has called for more big brands dealing in protein to hop into the alternative protein sector – but stressed that the motivation for this needs to be more centered on food security than profit margins.
The ability to accurately convert consumer demands and preferences into real, technical product concepts remains a key challenge for the plant-based sector in the APAC region, according to industry experts at Roquette.
FNA DEEP DIVE: CULTIVATED MEAT & FERMENTATION TECH
Novel protein production technologies such as cultivated meat and precision fermentation are seeing consumer acceptance soar in APAC, but are still some way off achieving price parity for the everyday consumer due to challenges with regulations and scale.
Two US-based precision fermentation startups making real dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows have announced significant developments as they gear up to launch next year in the emerging ‘animal-free dairy’ category.
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.
Indonesia has decided to push ahead with plans to tighten regulations governing imported processed foods by introducing a risk-based assessment system.
The scientific validation of ingredients and sensitive marketing strategies are key for brands to drive repeat purchases in Asia’s thriving healthy ageing category, according to an expert panel at our Growth Asia Summit 2022.
Convenience for parents and guaranteed food safety for children are the primary drivers of growth for the kids’ snacking market in India today, with the category evolving to become an increasingly important dietary occasion in the country.
Offering plant-based meat in a wider range of formats and targeting new demographics such as toddlers is key to attract new and loyal consumers, according to Kerry.
Global and regional plant-based protein brands should be prepared to face a reticent crowd should they plan to enter Japan at this juncture, according to the CEO and co-founder of alternative egg firm UMAMI United, Hiroto Yamazaki.
The Quaker Oats, Frito-Lay and Pringles maker has launched a series of videos showcasing how it is working with farmers in Thailand, Greece, India and Brazil to help them adapt to climate change.
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.
Recent changes in Thailand’s sustainability-linked financing rules are set to deliver a boost to the ‘Blue Finance’ sector, which is good news for firms dabbling in this area such as seafood heavyweight Thai Union.
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.
Economic growth and rising health awareness are being tipped to propel nut-based products to be come household staples in Vietnam over the next decade.
China’s egg industry is preparing to make a significant switch to more cage-free eggs production in light of growing demand from domestic consumers and food manufacturers.
Plant-based brands in China aiming to be listed in mainstream supermarkets and convenience stores are still having to educate retailers about the category, as well as extol the virtues of their own products.
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.
Malaysian plant-based protein firm the Ultimeat Group plans to tailor its formulation and packaging to every market it intends to enter from 2023 to 2024.
The Japanese government has called on local food businesses and producers to co-operate more closely with local authorities and basic regional sustainability plans so the national Green Food System Strategy will hit its 2030 and 2050 targets.
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.
Nestle India has highlighted the incorporation of traditional ingredients into children’s foods as a key strategy to boost parent confidence in a product’s nutritional benefits, on the back of its latest ragi-based cereal launch.
