Seafood

Stock options: Vitality Foods drills down on meaty flavour ‘translation’ to address plant-based gaps

09-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Singapore-based Vitality Foods has developed a range of plant-based stocks to address current flavour-related challenges in the alternative meat industry.

Next level: Regulatory acceptance and product accessibility crucial for Middle East alt-protein sector to scale

09-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The alternative protein sector in the Middle East will need to work towards gaining regulatory acceptance and improved product accessibility to overcome consumer acceptance challenges, very similar to those that were faced in APAC.

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.

Super-aged success: South Korean government lauds scientific validation of senior-friendly food strategy

25-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

A new scientific report highlighting the success of South Korea’s national senior-friendly food industry strategy claims the initiative can improve frailty, nutrition, and malnutrition rates.

Back to food roots: UAE conglomerate rejigs meat and spice brands for burgeoning cooking convenience market

20-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

UAE major conglomerate Gulf Marketing Group (GMG) has returned to its food manufacturing roots with the rebranding of its Farm Fresh meat and launch of its new Saporo spice brands, hoping to tap on the growing local cooking convenience market.

Food trade globalisation: E-commerce and digitalisation crucial for brands to attain recognition – Alibaba, Philippines DTI

19-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

Rising consumer concentration on social media has amplified the need for large and small brands alike to establish a digital presence and solidify e-commerce networks, especially in strongly connected markets such as China, South East Asia and the Middle...

If labels could kill: Irresponsible on-pack claims tapping dietary trends poses health risk - Expert panel

18-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

The irresponsible inclusion of prominent labels on food and beverage products to capitalise on current dietary trends and fads can pose immense health risks to consumers, especially if not backed up by proper research and data.

‘Make healthy the only option’: Nestle, Del Monte weigh impact of food affordability vs nutrition education

18-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

An expert panel with food industry heavyweights Nestle and Fresh Del Monte have highlighted the impact that nutritional education and product affordability have on encouraging ‘informed’ consumer purchasing decisions.

Nippon Food Shift: Japanese consumers’ purchasing choices primarily driven by affordability and local production – government survey

17-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

New data from the FY2022 version of Japan’s annual Dietary Habits and Lifestyle Survey has revealed that affordability and local production are the factors holding the most sway over local consumer purchasing decisions.

Fast, not furious: New Zealand food sector welcomes ‘expeditious’ development of new Grocery Code of Conduct

05-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

The food and grocery sector in New Zealand has acquiesced for the government to develop the first full version of the new Grocery Code of Conduct to speed up introduction, but has stressed that its administration will subsequently need to move out of...

Blue carbon power: South Korea’s PhytoCo drilling down into health and sustainability with government backing

03-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

South Korean healthy foods firm PhytoCo has tweaked its marketing strategy to focus on both rising health and sustainability demands from consumers with marked results, having recently secured recognition from the national government as a provider of...

Food safety warnings: South Korean regulator demands more collaboration as contamination cases rise

29-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean food safety ministry has urged industry and other government bodies to increase its efforts to slash contamination in the food supply, after cases jumped by 19% year-on-year.

Big business bids: Dubai authorities highlight commercial ease and political stability to lure food manufacturing investment

27-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Trade and economy leaders in Dubai are looking to position the city as the main food hub in the region, calling for more investment from international food firms and claiming its ‘political stability and ease of doing business’ are major draws.

Shining amid adversity: CP Foods to tread carefully in 2023 but pledges food safety and sustainability progress

21-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand-based food giant CP Foods has committed to further improve its food safety and sustainability initiatives in 2023 on the back of a successful 2022 financial year, but also plans to proceed with more caution due to ongoing challenges spanning...

‘Collective effort needed’: Cultural and behavioural challenges major hurdles for UAE national project

15-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

The National Food Loss and Waste Initiative (Ne’ma) backed by the United Arab Emirates government still faces immense challenges in the form of cultural practices and consumer behaviour as it seeks to halve food loss and waste.

High-tech inspections: South Korea deploys AI in national food imports plan to boost safety

14-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has announced a new food imports plan to be enforced in 2023 which will involve the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve its monitoring and inspections processes.

‘Always a place for animal protein’: Conversion and demand for alternative sources unlikely to be the same in every region – expert panel

13-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Consumer demand for alternate proteins is unlikely to end up growing at a uniform rate due to local dietary differences, much of which will still prioritise animal protein in the long run, according to an expert panel.

‘Almost like the real deal’: Singapore’s Ha Li Fa accelerates plant-based seafood expansion

28-Feb-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Singapore and Malaysia manufacturer Ha Li Fa’s says the success of its plant-based seafood range has accelerated its expansion into Cambodia, Brunei and Saudi Arabia.

Beyond the ‘obsession’: Are alternative proteins truly the best path to a sustainable food supply?

20-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Creating a sustainable food supply to meet population demands will require more than just a focus on growing the alternative proteins sector despite its current hype, according to industry experts.

Thai Union Exclusive Part II: ‘No one will pay huge premiums for plant-based protein…yet’

14-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

The plant-based space is nowhere near hitting the premium space yet, with affordability fundamental in driving demand amid deepening consumer economic concerns, says Thai Union.

‘No place in food’: Egypt food safety authority vows to hit WHO trans fats guidelines within 12 months

14-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Egyptian food safety authority has committed that the local food supply will hit World Health Organisation (WHO) trans fats guidelines within 12 months, claiming its recent policy changes will finally take it off the global high-consumption list.

Safe for second use: South Korea approves recycled PET as material for new food and beverage containers

08-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

South Korea has given the nod for recycled PET plastic to be used as a material to make new food and beverage containers as part of its national sustainability strategy, citing work by international brands such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo as an inspiration.

Thai Union Exclusive Part I: Sensory experience key for plant-based seafood to match other alt-proteins

08-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Manufacturers of plant-based seafood need to ensure they get the sensory experience right if the sector hopes to reach the scope and consumer acceptance that other plant-based meat alternatives have achieved, according to Thai Union.

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.

Keep it simple: Why minimal processing is key to winning over Asian plant-based consumers

31-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

Nutritional navigation: UAE eyes ‘virtual elimination’ of trans fats and sets ambitious salt reduction targets

26-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced implementation guidelines for its National Nutrition Strategy 2022 – 2030, eyeing the ‘virtual elimination’ of trans fats in the local food supply as well as a 30% reduction in consumers’ average...

Fit for purpose? Australia launches grocery code review amid effectiveness concerns

24-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Australia recently launched a public consultation as a first step towards reviewing its Food and Grocery Code of Conduct following increasing concerns over its effectiveness and ability to resolve disputes between suppliers and retailers.

Traceability priority: CP Foods targets blockchain integration for all products after pork and chicken success

23-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

Food development focus: UAE government highlights strengthening of local food security as key 2023 goal

11-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

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...

ASEAN food sector outlook 2023: Post-COVID-19 growth in Indonesia, Vietnam dampened by food security and inflation woes

11-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

Returning to normality? China ramps up relaxation of COVID-19 food testing and tariffs

10-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

Offering options: NZ’s Opo Bio looks to help cultivated meat firms outsource cell line stresses

09-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

Thailand’s Halal 4.0 journey: Tech and blockchain to play crucial role in ensuring product integrity

20-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

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.

‘No more wasteful gimmicks’: China issues strict constraints for fruit, meat, egg and seafood packaging

14-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

The Chinese government has launched strict draft standards to govern excessive food packaging in the country covering fruit, meat, egg and seafood products, allowing public comments on these until January 2023.

Beneficial ‘side effect’: Long regulatory road for cultivated products will boost consumer confidence – Upside Foods

07-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

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...

‘Making it happen’: NZ industry says new grocery competition bill is ‘concrete step’ towards fairness

01-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand food and grocery sector has voiced wholehearted support for the government’s announcement of a new legislative bill addressing unfair competition in the local grocery sector, which was previously dominated by a duopoly of major retailers.

FNA InnovATE VIDEO SERIES

‘Reduce and replace’: Plant-based brands can slash salt by following beverage sector’s sugar strategy - leading academic

29-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

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.

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.

Vow founder: First wave of cultivated meat should delight and intrigue consumers, so why launch with chicken nuggets?

18-Nov-2022 By Elaine Watson

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...

FOOD AND BEVERAGE TRAILBLAZERS EP 37

Cleaning up snack foods: Big brand interest in cleaner and healthier options paving path for leaf protein sector

16-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

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.

Organic observance: Japan tightens regulations for food imports and certification label sizing

15-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

The Japanese government has implemented tighter regulations for organic food imports, with firms required to appoint specific personnel and use standard organic certification labels to avoid being rejected.

Alt protein long haul: Thai Union says food security more important than making a ‘quick buck’

14-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

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.

Growth Asia Summit 2022

‘Only produce what we eat’: Singapore-based firm Avant on the sustainability case for cultivated seafood

10-Nov-2022 By Tingmin Koe

Eating cultivated seafood will become a “more efficient” way to consume protein by slashing waste, while also removing fears over the intake of microplastics, according to Singapore-based firm Avant.

Converting consumer demands into technical concepts key challenge for APAC’s plant-based sector

09-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

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: APAC consumer acceptance soars but scalability still hinders affordability

09-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

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.

Animal-free dairy: New Culture attracts new funding; Change Foods eyes up Abu Dhabi for new plant: 'There is a massive commercial manufacturing capacity bottleneck in the industry'

04-Nov-2022 By Elaine Watson

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.

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.

Growth Asia Summit 2022

Proof and pride: Science-backed ingredients and sensitive marketing key for healthy ageing success in Asia

02-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

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.

Sodium overload: One-third of Australian toddlers consuming too much salt – national study

01-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

One-third of toddlers in Australia are consuming excess sodium in their daily diets, with experts stating the situation is so bad that simply reducing snack or discretionary foods intakes is insufficient.