Soups and sauces

Food manufacturers help raise recycling rates in Singapore, but still room for improvement

28-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Recently released statistics from Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) show the amount of food waste recycled in the country has risen by 2% — with food manufacturers playing a crucial role in driving up standards.

Ajinomoto amalgamating subsidiaries to boost business in Turkey and the Middle East

28-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Ajinomoto is amalgamating its wholly-owned subsidiaries in Turkey — Ajinomoto Istanbul Food Sales Ltd., Kükre A.Ş. and Örgen A.Ş. — as it seeks to double its annual sales by 2020.

Gulfood 2018

Halal Taiwanese noodle maker plans extra capacity to drive Asia and Middle East exports

27-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Taiwanese noodle maker PLN Food Co. Ltd., known for its PLN brand of noodles, or Dian Xian Mian in Chinese, is seeking new export markets across Asia and the Middle East for its halal-certified noodles, and is preparing to boost capacity at its factory...

Indonesia’s first edible food packaging firm reveals automation plan to drive down costs

26-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Indonesia’s first edible packaging firm, Evoware, has unveiled plans to automate and rapidly scale up production of its seaweed-based items, which will lead to a big cut in the final costs of its products.

Tate & Lyle doubles Shanghai lab as it seeks 30% of sales from emerging markets by 2020

26-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Tate & Lyle has doubled the size of its food application laboratory in Shanghai, with its regional leader targeting 30% of its speciality food and ingredients sales coming from emerging markets by 2020.

Sri Lanka seeks to boost food industry by linking SMEs to global markets

22-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Sri Lankan Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen said the government is considering linking the country’s food processing SMEs to global export markets.

Cold Storage, Giant and Hero stores axed in Southeast Asia on back of poor results

20-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Pan-Asian retailer Dairy Farm International – the owner of stores such as Cold Storage, Giant and 7-Eleven – has closed a series of outlets in Southeast Asia "after a disappointing year" for its food businesses.

Sugar-reduction and reformulation demand spurs Tate & Lyle to expand Singapore lab

14-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Rising industry and consumer demand for more healthy products, especially with reduced sugar, was one of the drivers behind Tate & Lyle’s decision to double the size of its laboratory and application centre in Singapore.

NZ Commission clears sauce merger of Heinz Wattie’s and Suntory’s Cerebos Gregg’s pending divestment

13-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has granted clearance for Heinz Wattie’s to acquire the food and instant coffee business of Cerebos Gregg’s subject to a divestment undertaking.

New round of Aussie supermarket wars claims scalp of local online independent

08-Mar-2018 By RJ Whitehead

The landscape is looking increasingly grim for home-grown retailers following the closure this week of Aussie Farmers Direct.

Regulator seeks views on revamp of 'unclear' allergen labelling in Australia and New Zealand

08-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for submissions on proposals to make allergen labelling more clear, claiming the existing rules "lack clarity".

Revealed: Food types for which consumers are more likely to check nutritional labels

06-Mar-2018 By Lester Wan

Consumers are more likely to view nutrition labels for convenience foods, cereals, snack foods, bakery products and oils, research in New Zealand has revealed.

FoodEx Japan 2018

Six products and trends Japanese buyers are looking for from new food imports

06-Mar-2018 By Staff Reporter

With the 43rd FoodEx Japan show underway in Tokyo this week, we uncover what some of the nation’s product buyers are on the lookout for when it comes to selecting new imports.

Gulfood 2018

Thai juice firm Malee branches into functional condiments as part of health drive

27-Feb-2018 By Lester Wan

Beverage company Malee is to launch its first condiment — Vintico Coconut Vinegar — in Thailand in April as it seeks to diversify into premium health and functional food products.

Ajinomoto acquiring Malaysian land to expand manufacturing in US$21.5m deal

21-Feb-2018 By Lester Wan

Food seasoning and salt producer Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Bhd is in the process of acquiring land in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, to expand its manufacturing operations.

GULFOOD 2018

Demand for organic on the increase in UAE, but on-pack claims remain low

20-Feb-2018 By Gary Scattergood

Consumers and retailers in the UAE are slowly seeking more organic products, but on-pack claims from manufacturers remain low.

Singapore officials drawing up plans to curb sugar levels in food products

19-Feb-2018 By Lester Wan

Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB) said it is drawing up guidelines for food manufacturers and restaurants to reduce the amount of sugar in their food products.

Price, packaging and provenance: Three key themes set to shape this year’s Gulfood show

14-Feb-2018 By Gary Scattergood

Whether you are an MNC giant or a fledgling start-up, price, packaging and provenance are keys to success in the Middle East.

Fries and nuggets in your cup noodles? Fast food favourites in new Nissin offering

13-Feb-2018 By Lester Wan

First it was pizza-flavoured cup noodles, now Nissin Foods has added two other fast-food favourites to its latest instant product… French fries and chicken nuggets.

Five Aussie-food start-ups enrolled onto yoghurt firm Chobani's incubator programme

12-Feb-2018 By Gary Scattergood

A high-protein Jerky manufacturer and a gluten-free nut butter firm are among the five start-ups on Chobhani’s Australia's first incubator scheme, each of which has been warded $100,000 in equity-free funding.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

JUST CEO Josh Tetrick reveals billion-dollar start-up will open first Asia manufacturing site

12-Feb-2018 By Gary Scattergood

Billion-dollar US start-up JUST will open its first manufacturing site in Asia this year, with CEO Josh Tetrick telling us in an exclusive interview that Asia holds huge promise for the egg-free and 'clean meat' firm.

New products, transparent labelling and value: How food firms can achieve halal sales success as demand soars in Asia

07-Feb-2018 By Lester Wan

As home to four of the five fastest-growing Muslim-majority countries and boasting increasing levels of disposable incomes, Asia is offering halal food firms vast growth potential — but only if they embrace new product development, labelling transparency...

Grocery wars: India’s e-commerce battle hots up with Alibaba, Amazon and Walmart on manoeuvres

05-Feb-2018 By Lester Wan

India’s e-commerce and online grocery sector has been buzzing with speculation and new investment in the past week with Alibaba, Amazon and Walmart all seemingly jostling for position.

Punjab Food Authority bans Ajinomoto salt, brands it a 'health hazard'

30-Jan-2018 By Lester Wan

The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) in Pakistan has banned the sale and use of Ajinomoto salt — known locally as Chinese salt — across the province.

Rakuten and Walmart combine powers for new Japan grocery delivery service

30-Jan-2018 By Lester Wan

Japan e-commerce giant Rakuten and retailer Seiyu GK, a Walmart subsidiary, have agreed on a joint venture to launch a new online grocery delivery service — Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper.

Why yet another Asian online giant — Tencent — is investing in China's brick-and-mortar food retail

25-Jan-2018 By Lester Wan

The wave of online giants ploughing cash into traditional bricks-and-mortar food retail business shows no sign of slowing, with hypermarket chain Carrefour announcing it is in collaborative talks with China technology and entertainment giant Tencent.

Singapore food SMEs unite to secure shelf space in major Indonesian supermarkets

24-Jan-2018 By Gary Scattergood

More than 100 Singapore SME food firms – from manufacturers of fish balls to rice vermicelli – now have their products stocked in major Indonesia supermarkets.

Space snacks: Japan seeks lift-off for more accredited foods for astronauts

16-Jan-2018 By Lester Wan

Astronauts currently have to eat the same meal roughly every 16 days — but this is something Japan is looking to remedy with the help of food manufacturers.

APAC's four key private label trends into the 2020's: Premium, sustainable, digital and healthy

02-Jan-2018 By RJ Whitehead

Growing digitisation, premium packaging formats and a rising focus on health and wellness are among the key trends in private label that Asia-Pacific will face into the next decade.

Vegemite to sponsor Australian Open as brand reinforces it's 'back under home ownership'

06-Dec-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Vegemite, now back in Aussie ownership under Bega Cheese, has announced a partnership with Tennis Australia to sponsor the 2018 Australian Open.

Special report: As incomes increase, why are organic food sales in Asia not yet soaring?

05-Dec-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Despite the fact that disposable income is growing and the middle class expanding, sales of organic food in Asia still lag far behind that in the rest of the world.

Half of all teens with food allergies suffered a reaction in the past 12 months: New data

24-Nov-2017 By Gary Scattergood

One-in-two Australian adolescents with food allergies experienced a reaction in the past year, with products cooked at home now responsible for more cases than those served in restaurants or school canteens, new data reveals.

Traditional Japanese broth aids gastric emptying: First-of-its-kind trial

15-Nov-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Three amino acids — the key components in traditional Japanese broth (dashi) — promote gastric emptying in healthy adults, and could therefore be beneficial to people with functional dyspepsia.

Asia will drive global organic growth over next decade: Indian industry pioneer

13-Nov-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Asia is primed to drive the sales of global organic products between 2020-2030 as consumer understanding and government support grows, claims an industry pioneer in India.

From beer to miso: Six Japan firms seeking to boost halal exports to South East Asia

06-Nov-2017 By Lester Wan

Japanese food firms are stepping up their efforts to drive export success in Malaysia and Indonesia after securing halal certification.

Foodstuff most frequently intercepted counterfeit product

29-Aug-2017 By Joseph James Whitworth

Foodstuff was the most frequently intercepted counterfeit product during a joint World Customs Organization (WCO) operation in Asia Pacific.

India

Mars acquires Tasty Bite’s American parent

21-Aug-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Mars Foods will buy the American-based owner of Tasty Bite Foodservice (TFS), a manufacturer of all-natural, ready-to-heat Indian and Asian food products, for an undisclosed price.

Students help devise alcohol-free Japanese soy sauce

07-Jun-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Muslim students have been enlisted by a Japanese condiments manufacturer to help develop a new halal soy sauce which it hopes to begin exporting to Southeast Asia later this year.

FoodEx Japan 2017

Functional soups: The next big business opportunity for food and nutrition firms in Japan?

07-May-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Functional soups featuring botanical and herbal ingredients such as ginger, ginseng and cordyceps are ripe for new product development in Japan, with the ageing population a particularly lucrative target market.

Food Vision Asia 2017

Social science: The world's big 'metatrends' define global tastes

01-May-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Nutritional biochemist and food marketeer Rachel Cheatham looks at five of the biggest global food trends based on her analysis of social media reporting.

Emerging markets continue to drive growth for Nestlé and Unilever

20-Apr-2017 By Louis Gore-Langton

Industry giants Nestlé and Unilever report steady sales growth driven by emerging markets for first quarter of 2017 and predict continued growth throughout the year.

FOODEX JAPAN 2017

'Don’t dismiss organic': Growing US market could offer opportunities and advice for Japan

14-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Japanese firms can tap into rising demand for organic and natural produce and products in the US by learning best practices and getting to grips with the latest market trends.

FOODEX JAPAN 2017

Indian SMEs need export support and technology partners, 'not purely cash investment'

08-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Driving exports to Japan and securing new technology partners for manufacturers and suppliers should be the main priorities for the Indian food processing sector, according to exhibitors at FoodEx Japan.

Ready-to-mix market to see double-digit growth in wealthier India

18-Jan-2017 By Richard Whitehead

India ready-to-mix food market has been predicted to be worth as much as US$284m by 2020, an annualised increase of 15.7% fuelled largely by the increasing disposable income of a growing middle class.

New study boosts use of thiamine fortified fish sauce to tackle beriberi

10-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Further evidence has been published showing how fortified fish sauce is being used in Cambodia to help tackle thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency and the associated disease beriberi in babies.

China direct

HK consumer survey finds sizeable sugar rush in traditional desserts

31-Oct-2016 By RJ Whitehead

The amount of sugar in a small bowl of sweet soup in Hong Kong should not be under-estimated, according to tests conducted by the region’s Consumer Council and the Centre for Food Safety.

Tate & Lyle to expand Singapore lab amid speciality ingredients focus

17-Oct-2016 By Gary Scattergood

Tate & Lyle is to more than double the size of its Singapore laboratory, will new facilities including a pilot plant and wider analytical capabilities.

Halal Japan: Meet the people convincing food firms to take the Islamic market seriously

13-Oct-2016 By Gary Scattergood

With just 100,000 Muslims among a population of 127m, its perhaps little surprise that halal products have not been the top priority for Japan’s food manufacturers.

Indian ingredient firm Roha opens German base

15-Sep-2016 By Gary Scattergood

Indian-based ingredient firm Roha has continued its global expansion by opening a German office to increase technical and consumer support in Europe. 

Singapore and Malaysia lead the way with voluntary GDA labelling roll-out

05-Sep-2016 By Gary Scattergood

‘Significant progress’ has been made in rolling-out voluntary Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) nutrition labelling in Asia over the past four years, but more work is needed to educate consumers and emphasise their benefits to small and medium-sized enterprises...