Soups and sauces

Health overtaking flavour: Food companies ride on rising salt reduction and clean label trends in China

20-Feb-2019 By Pearly Neo

Health concerns are overtaking flavour preferences in China — where dishes are traditionally prepared with substantial amounts of seasonings and spices — and food companies are increasingly using this trend to their advantage.

WTO complaint lodged: UAE claims Qatar’s import ban a breach of international trade law

13-Feb-2019 By Tingmin Koe

The UAE has filed a complaint against Qatar at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), claiming that the latter’s ban against UAE products, including food items, was inconsistent with international laws.

Allergen information concern: Half of all adverse reactions occur in products without warning labels

13-Feb-2019 By Pearly Neo

More than half of all cases of anaphylaxis or food allergy reactions featured in a new study occurred after the consumption of products that failed to contain any allergen warning labels, according to researchers at the University of Melbourne.

Allergen-free collaboration: Four Japanese food firms cook up recipe initiative

31-Jan-2019 By Tingmin Koe

Four Japanese food firms, Nippon Ham, House Foods, Otafuku, and Nagatanien, have partnered to launch allergen-free food recipes, the first collaboration of such in the food industry.

Multicultural flavours in demand: UAE importer Truebell ramps up product range

30-Jan-2019 By Tingmin Koe

UAE-based importer Truebell is offering at least seven new products to the country this year – including tea from the UK and probiotic beverages from Japan.

Online-offline integration: Walmart China focuses on US$104mn food distribution centre alongside e-commerce and delivery services

23-Jan-2019 By Pearly Neo

Retail giant Walmart China set to launch its first perishable food distribution centre in China, with operations set to get underway in March.

Technology for sustainability: CP Foods commits to 100% sustainable plastic packaging locally by 2025

22-Jan-2019 By Pearly Neo

Thailand food manufacturing giant Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) has committed to achieve 100% sustainable plastic packaging in all its local units by 2025, with the aid of new technology and a packaging optimisation framework.

Gluten alert: 3% of Australian on-shelf gluten-free foods found to fail ‘no detectable gluten’ standards

17-Jan-2019 By Pearly Neo

An Australian study has found that 3% of food products claimed to be gluten-free and sold on the shelves of common retail outlets contained detectable levels of gluten.

International requirements: How Japanese food manufacturers’ can benefit from global food safety guidelines

09-Jan-2019 By Tingmin Koe

Japanese food firms have a high understanding of food safety controls, however, most were following their own set of standards and were not familiar with international guidelines, Nigel Asai, HACCP Japan chief, told FoodNavigator-Asia.

Prosperity project: Vietnam’s rapidly growing food processing industry eyes foreign investment

02-Jan-2019 By Pearly Neo

The Vietnamese food processing industry has experienced rapid growth over the past five years, and expects further expansion as it targets additional foreign investments.

RSPO Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT16)

‘Grave concerns’: Experts identify shared responsibility, big brand roles and emerging markets as key factors for sustainable palm oil

28-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

Shared responsibility, big brand roles and emerging markets were identified as the main driving factors pushing both industries and consumers forward when it comes to sustainability in palm oil, said an expert panel to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm...

‘Maximum punishment’: India’s Maharashtra FDA to prescribe life imprisonment for food adulteration violators

21-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

Life imprisonment will soon be the maximum punishment for food adulterators in the Indian state of Maharashtra, said the state’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Beyond just taste: Five emerging flavour trends taking shape in Asia

20-Nov-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Flavour firms need to keep up with the rapidly changing tastes of consumers and take a holistic approach to innovation in order to secure success, according to the International Flavours and Fragrances (IFF), which has highlighted five emerging trends...

‘Asia is driving growth’: Kancor emphasises strong APAC focus after MANE acquisition

19-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

Kancor’s recent acquisition by MANE has given the company a stronger, more holistic view of solutions from farm to fork, especially in its top-priority market in Asia Pacific, said a top company official during the recent Fi Asia expo in Jakarta.

Food recalls in the spotlight: New Zealand regulator considering moves to strengthen safety systems

19-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

New Zealand Food Safety is looking to further enhance the country’s food recalls and food safety system by seeking views on new proposals that stem from the 2013 Fonterra crisis.

RSPO Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT16)

RSPO certification standards undergo major review: Top expert takeaways from the ‘most consultative review process ever’

19-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

The certification standards to obtain and/or membership with the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) have become more stringent after the latest 2018 review.

Credibility concerns: Dietitians Association of Australia ends 20-year-old partnership with food industry

14-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) is bringing its long-running Corporate Partnership Programme with food industry partners to a close, amid concerns than some its collaborations were lacking in credibility when it came to health outcomes.

Safety First: India milk scandal, new Singapore food safety standards and more in our food safety round-up

13-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

Insight into India's ongoing milk crisis, new updates to Singapore food safety standards and bottled water safety feature in our food safety compilation.

Nestle China incubator reveals new products to meet health and wellness needs

13-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

The new Nestle China Incubator team has revealed a series of new products from soups to snacks, which are specifically designed to suit the tastes of local consumers.

‘Can’t call this soy sauce’: Over 20 products fail to meet China’s production standards

12-Nov-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Twenty-nine fermented soy sauce products, including the likes of Xie Yuan and Lee Kum Kee, have failed to meet China’s production standards, according to a sample test conducted by Jiangsu Consumer Council.

FOOD JAPAN 2018

Reviving sake-kasu: Japanese firm powers on with digestion-aiding powder products

12-Nov-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Farm8, a food innovation and manufacturing firm in Japan, is giving sake-kasu a new lease of life by incorporating it into beverages, confectionery, seasonings, and sweets.

Halal certification system: Lack of global alignment increases costs for food firms

07-Nov-2018 By Tingmin Koe

The global halal certification system is increasing costs for manufacturers, largely due to the lack of international alignment, according to the State of the Islamic Economy Report 2018/19.

Seizing Saudi Arabia’s online grocery shoppers: Majid Al Futtaim expands e-commerce reach

07-Nov-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Majid Al Futtaim, a Dubai-based conglomerate which operates supermarkets as part of its business, is partnering with online store Wadi Grocery to build its presence in Saudi Arabia’s e-commerce space.

Asia ‘leading the way’ in e-commerce: Four of the top ten global online grocery markets in 2023 will hail from APAC

06-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

China has taken the top spot amongst global online grocery markets expected to lead the sector by 2023 while Japan, South Korea and Australia are all within the top 10, according to research by food and grocery research authority Institute of Grocery...

Selling to China via cross-border e-commerce: What food firms need to know

05-Nov-2018 By Tingmin Koe

China's cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) sector saw a turnover of US$13.08m (RMB 90.24bn) last year, which was 80.6% higher than 2016.

From 845 to 200 data fields: Food company licensing to become ‘simpler’ in Singapore

01-Nov-2018 By Pearly Neo

New food and beverage (F&B) companies will ‘only’ have to fill in 200 data fields, versus the previous 845 from next year, revealed Singapore Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry (MTI) Chee Hong Tat.

Consumption of Western food can raise cancer risks in Arab men: US expert

24-Oct-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Consumption of Western food high in omega-6, red meat, and sugar increases the risk of developing prostate cancer, as observed in Arab men.

Still a ‘go’: San Miguel vows to press ahead with IPO despite valuation slash

24-Oct-2018 By Pearly Neo

The boss of San Miguel Food and Beverage (SFMB) has vowed that the firms planned IPO will go ahead, despite its value being slashed by roughly 50% to US$920mn (PHP 49.4bn) as a result of weak market conditions.

Breakfast on wheels: Nestle India gears up for healthy breakfast truck project

23-Oct-2018 By Pearly Neo

Nestle India is piloting its new-concept ‘All Day Breakfast’ truck in Delhi, in its third health- nutritious-focused launch within the last four months.

Dipping into dips: Nestle India enters new segment amid price hike considerations

17-Oct-2018 By Pearly Neo

Nestle India has taken a dip into the gourmet dip and spread segment with its latest product offering, Maggi Dip & Spread. This comes amidst the company’s mulling of ‘some price increase’ in ‘some categories’.

Mondelez catching up with competitors in China’s e-commerce space: Bernstein report

15-Oct-2018 By Tingmin Koe

The US snacks and confectionary giant Mondelez is catching up with its rivals despite a late entry into China’s e-commerce space.

Deep freeze: Demographic changes spur Japan supermarket to target frozen food growth

15-Oct-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Supermarket chain Ito-Yokado hopes to grow its frozen food category by 10% with the launch of new frozen meals and side-dishes.

Ingredion pumps up starch production business in China with new investments

15-Oct-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Ingredion is looking to grow its starch production and wet-milling capacity in China.

Ajinomoto Group restructures: Food manufacturing arm formed in bid to raise profit margins

15-Oct-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Japanese food corporation Ajinomoto Group will open a new food manufacturing company in April next year.

Fi Asia 2018

Not out with the old: Azelis aims to make its presence felt in Indonesia by cashing in on 'familiar' technologies

11-Oct-2018 By Pearly Neo

Azelis Indonesia will utilise its well-developed technologies in flavours, hydrocolloids and modified starch to expand its local market, company representatives have told FoodNavigator-Asia.

‘Top polluters in Asia’: Coca-Cola, Mondelez respond to Greenpeace plastic waste audit findings

11-Oct-2018 By Pearly Neo

Coca-Cola, Mondelez and Perfetti van Melle have been identified as the ‘top polluters in Asia’, according to the results from Greenpeace’s Break Free from Plastic global brand audit.

Fi Asia 2018

Faster, cheaper, simpler: How to improve Indonesia’s halal certification regime

11-Oct-2018 By Pearly Neo

The development of halal food analytical science is vital to further develop and support certification and credibility in Indonesia.

Jumping on the hojicha bandwagon: Canadian start-up eyes North American and Asian markets

08-Oct-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Foreseeing that hojicha will become one of the most popular tea varieties, Canadian start-up Hōjicha Co is devoting its resources to sell only hojicha products.

High salt intake linked to development of impaired kidney function: Japanese study

03-Oct-2018 By Tingmin Koe

The higher the salt intake, the higher the risk of developing kidney impairment, according to a group of Japanese researchers.

Halal food boom: Malaysia predicts rapid growth in exports and foreign demand for certifications

27-Sep-2018 By Pearly Neo

Malaysia is expecting an increase of 10% in halal exports and a significant increase in demand for halal certifications by foreign countries this year.

Dual use of Health Star Ratings and Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion "likely to confuse consumers": Australian study

26-Sep-2018 By Pearly Neo

Australian researchers have found that dual implementation of the Health Star Ratings (HSR) and Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) to advertise product healthiness is "likely to result in confusion for consumers".

Increase in Philippines’ F&B spending will drive local online grocery market growth

18-Sep-2018 By Pearly Neo

Strong growth in local Filipino food and beverage spending is set to propel e-commerce activity in the Philippines, especially in online mass grocery retail (MGR).

San Miguel reveals extensive facilities expansion plans to boost production capacity

05-Sep-2018 By Pearly Neo

San Miguel Food and Beverage (SMFB) will plough resources into building new company-owned production facilities in the Philippines in an effort to tramp-up production and help boost exports.

Japan’s food exports higher than last year’s, with Hong Kong the greatest importer

22-Aug-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Japan’s export of agriculture, forestry and fishery products has reached 435.9 billion yen (about US$3.9 billion) for the first six months of the year, a 15.2% increase as compared to the same period last year.

Asia’s leading large format food retailers to grow 3.3% a year to 2022: New data

20-Aug-2018 By Lester Wan

Asia’s large format retailers — supermarkets and hypermarkets — are set to grow 3.3% a year to 2022, with firms in Vietnam, India and the Philippines forecast to see double-digit growth over the next five years.

Can unmanned convenience stores take-off in Indonesia? JD.com thinks so

16-Aug-2018 By Lester Wan

JD.com has launched its first overseas unmanned convenience store in Indonesia — the JD.ID X-Mart — with a strong snacks and drink offering alongside fashion and beauty items.

Instagrammable healthy food: Japanese firm makes blue-coloured dressing with spirulina

13-Aug-2018 By Tingmin Koe

Japanese sauce maker Kenko Mayo has launched a blue-coloured salad dressing that contains spirulina extracts and collagen, in an attempt to meet consumer demands for “instagrammable” and healthier food.

Asia dominates vegetarian markets but understanding local factors crucial for sales success

02-Aug-2018 By Lester Wan

Four of the top five global vegetarian markets are in Asia, but experts have cautioned that industry needs to be aware of particular national trends to maintain sales success.

Bite-sized and on-the-go learning app modules launched for Singapore’s food and beverage industry

02-Aug-2018 By Lester Wan

New bite-sized learning app modules for the food and beverage industry have been launched in Singapore to provide on-the-go learning for time-strapped professionals.

Singaporean flavours pioneer celebrates 50 years with new $20m manufacturing facility

31-Jul-2018 By Lester Wan

Singaporean flavours and fragrance firm KH Roberts (KHR) has marked its 50th anniversary with the launch of a new $20m, 100,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility.