Sugar and starches

Honey I shrunk the tests: India retains just one of three major quality parameters prompting adulteration fears

29-Jun-2020 By Pearly Neo

The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has announced that it will be retaining just one of three major quality parameters used to test honey pureness authenticity that were previously removed, whilst also putting the onus on syrup importers...

‘Weak commitments’: Malaysian big food firms’ food wanting on nutrition commitments – obesity expert

23-Jun-2020 By Pearly Neo

Many big food and beverage companies in Malaysia have made commitments to improve product and population nutrition, but researchers have found these to be ‘weak’, ‘non-specific’ and lacking in comprehensiveness.

Three major China food safety risks: Officials highlight contamination, drug residue and excessive additives as key concerns

22-Jun-2020 By Pearly Neo

China has revealed microbial contamination, excessive food additives and excessive drug residues to be the major food safety challenges that the country is facing, based on data from the government-administered 2019 National Food Safety Inspections.

Nutrient scoring: Ajinomoto Japan to use system to aid healthier product development

17-Jun-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Japanese seasoning giant Ajinomoto has developed a new nutrient scoring system to evaluate the nutritional value of its products and help support future product development.

Grocery sales to drive 5-6% Middle East food industry growth as dining out slumps post COVID-19

17-Jun-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The GCC food and beverage market is expected to increase between 5 to 6% this year, largely driven by retail sales amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Bitter-sweet revelations: Pakistan sugar millers deny corruption findings as accusations fly

11-Jun-2020 By Pearly Neo

The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has categorically denied all findings levelled against them by a government-led inquiry into the state of the nation’s sugar industry, which claimed they cheated both consumers and producers out of billions.

WATCH: How digital fingerprints can help prevent food fraud and supply chain disruptions beyond Covid-19

04-Jun-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

AI solutions to track and trace raw materials and ingredients will likely gather pace in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, where supply chains were disrupted and many firms had to source supplies from alternative providers.

Not a taxing question: Australian sugar sweetened beverage consumption slumps as obesity rates continue to soar

19-May-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Volume sales of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have declined over the past 22 years in Australia by almost one-third despite the country's ongoing obesity problem, with industry leaders claiming this calls into question repeated calls for a sugar...

Enormous eGrocery investments: Consumer demands for convenience, quality and variety drives funding surge in China

12-May-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Investments in China’s eGrocery start-up sector continues to soar with funding reaching USD2.1 billion in 2019, a 25% increase from 2018, new data reveals.

COVID-19 in Malaysia: Food industry recovery thwarted as half of states refuse to leave lockdown

12-May-2020 By Pearly Neo

The F&B industry in Malaysia has called for food businesses in all states nationwide to ‘concurrently resume’ as per the government’s recent loosening of COVID-19 related lockdown restrictions, but has hit a snag with seven of the nation’s 14 states...

E-commerce in Saudi Arabia: Food sales surge amid COVID-19 pandemic

06-May-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Consumers in Saudi Arabia have drastically ramped-up their online purchases of food products in the the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, new data reveals.

Ingredion launches polyol sweetener to tap health-conscious trend

04-May-2020 By Oliver Morrison

Ingredion EMEA has launched its first polyol sweetener -- ERYSTA Erythritol – to enable manufacturers to reduce or replace sugar to achieve nutrition-related claims, such as ‘no added sugar’ or ‘calorie-reduced’, in multiple applications.

Innovative texture trends: Ingredion aims to tap into Chinese consumer demands with extra capacity

23-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Ingredion will double the capacity at its Shandong modified starch facility by 2022, to tap into China’s growing hunger for innovative textures in foods.

COVID-19 concerns: UAE assures citizens of six-month food supply and import objectives

08-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The Ministry of Economy in UAE has stated that it has enough food to meet the needs of its citizens for at least six months, amidst concerns of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which is showing no signs of slowing in the region.

Qatar takes top spot for food security in Middle East and North Africa: Annual GFSI report

08-Apr-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The annual Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019 published by The Economist Intelligence Unit, has revealed Qatar to be the number one nation for food security among 15 Middle Eastern and North African countries.

Pakistan sugar wars: No end in sight as import tax enforced and investigations launched on mills

08-Apr-2020 By Pearly Neo

Pakistan has enforced an import tax on sugar entering the country, adding another layer of complexity to the country’s ongoing war between sugar cane farmers and sugar mills.

Cheap yet healthy: Sugar reduction catches up with price in driving Singaporean beverage purchases

30-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Sugar reduction has caught up to become just as important as price promotion in the eyes of Singaporean consumers when it comes to making beverage purchases, according to a new report from Nielsen.

Sugar barter: Indonesia reduces rules for Indian imports to sweeten palm oil trade

16-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Indonesia has relaxed the quality requirements for sugar entering the country to allow Indian supply in, as part of a barter exchange to secure palm oil export access to the latter and to deal with dwindling local supply.

Ramadan discounts: New UAE initiative will slash prices of food and supermarket items by up to 60%

11-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Economy has revealed a new initiative to reduce the prices of 5,000 food and supermarket goods with discounts ranging between 25% to 60% as the Ramadan month draws near.

Pakistan food crisis: Government looks to reduce prices amidst skyrocketing hikes and IMF pressure

09-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

The Pakistani government aims to reduce the skyrocketing prices of basic food items in the country by reducing taxes, amidst an unsuccessful bid to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce its tax collection target.

‘Goalpost shift’: Singapore’s new sugar-sweetened beverage labelling rules ‘could confuse consumers’

09-Mar-2020 By Pearly Neo

Singapore has announced a colour-coded labelling scheme for pre-packaged sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) based on sugar content by volume – a move that has already drawn dissent from the local food and beverage industry.

Coca-Cola faces tighter supply of sucralose from China as COVID-19 hits supply chain

03-Mar-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has experienced some delays in its artificial sweetener supply chain from China as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).

Double threat: Negative outlook for food retail scene as Hong Kong battles coronavirus and protests

25-Feb-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Hong Kong’s sales of food retail outlets have dropped 3% to HK$42.8 billion (US$5.5bn) in 2019, compared to HK$44.3 billion (US%5.7bn) in 2018.

Half sugar: China’s JK Sucralose to invest $30m in research and production capacity

24-Feb-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

China-based sucralose manufacturer JK Sucralose is investing in a research institute and factory for its half-sugar project, which will be completed in the second half of 2020.

Government action needed: Political pressure key for Indonesian F&B firms to propel reformulation

20-Feb-2020 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage companies in Indonesia have cited government regulations as the major factor for reformulation, in a country where 28% of the adult population is overweight, 22% is obese, and 35% of deaths are caused by cardiovascular disease.

Halal ‘mismatch’: Why Malaysia needs to take action and close hole in balance of trade

19-Feb-2020 By Richard Whitehead

There is currently a “mismatch” between the amount of halal food imported into Malaysia and the quantity it exports that needs to be addressed, according to Jamil Bidin, the recently retired chief executive of the agency charged with promoting the country’s...

Pakistan’s sugar wars: Punjab proposes 10000% penalty increase for illegal sugarcane dealings as tensions rise

19-Feb-2020 By Pearly Neo

The government of Pakistan’s most-populated province, Punjab, is trying to halt the ongoing ‘sugar wars’ in the country between sugarcane millers and growers by raising the maximum penalty for illegal dealings by 10,000%.

Five year goal: Coca-Cola New Zealand wants to reduce sugar in its beverages by 20%

06-Feb-2020 By Guan Yu Lim

Coca-Cola New Zealand have announced a goal to reduce the amount of sugar in its beverages by 20% by 2025, including Sprite, Fanta, Powerade, Kiwi Blue water, Pump, Keri Juice as well as its Coca-Cola range.

Sugar taxes in APAC: Are they really responsible for industry reformulation efforts in the region?

28-Jan-2020 By Pearly Neo

Many APAC governments have explored sugar taxes to some extent over the past few years, but experts now say that although on the surface these appear to have been effective in driving reformulation, consumer behaviour and not taxation is likely to be...

Korea’s 2030 food industry vision: Five major local food sectors to receive ‘vitality boost’

20-Jan-2020 By Pearly Neo

South Korea plans to focus on five major sectors within the local food industry and give these a ‘vitality boost’ as part of its 2030 target to double the value of the sector.

Singapore’s War on Diabetes: How industry has played a key role in government’s health battle

20-Jan-2020 By Pearly Neo

Three years after Singapore officially launched its War on Diabetes campaign, with the aim of ‘mobilising the whole nation’ to tackle the condition, we assess how the food and beverage industry has been a key ally in the battle.

Five top trends set to shape the APAC food and beverage sector in 2020

06-Jan-2020 By Pearly Neo

We take a look at the five top trends that look set to shape the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry in 2020, from fortification to cell-based development to sustainability and more.

Anti-obesity honey: Malaysian professor’s ‘paradoxical’ method to tackle body fat

06-Jan-2020 By Tingmin Koe

The bioactives from honey could help tackle obesity by curbing appetite and Malaysian researchers are now making a weight controlling dietary supplement on the back of their studies.

Trend Tracker: Mondelez snack trends, Coca-Cola sustainability trends, Middle East fat reduction and more feature in our round-up

12-Dec-2019 By Pearly Neo

Mondelez snack trends, Coca-Cola sustainability trends, Middle East fat reduction and more feature in this edition of Trend Tracker.

Organic standardisation: China enforces revised product list with immediate effect

11-Dec-2019 By Pearly Neo

China has published a new list of products that can be accepted for organic certification, which has been enforced with immediate effect. A set of revised organic certification regulations is set to follow by January 1, 2020.

‘Clarity is key’: Low and no sugar claims in the spotlight as South Korea tightens regulations

09-Dec-2019 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has announced tightened food labelling and advertisement standards in a move to strengthen the country’s Food Labelling and Advertising Act, with sugar and other ‘negative content’ claims receiving...

Gulfood Manufacturing 2019

WATCH: Palsgaard says UAE and Saudi consumers the most conscious about sustainable food ingredients

04-Dec-2019 By Guan Yu Lim

Demand for sustainably produced food products is increasing in the MEASA region (the Middle East, Africa and South Asia), especially in UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to emulsifier firm, Palsgaard.

Better late than never? New Zealand government finally responds to industry’s anti-obesity plan

03-Dec-2019 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand government has finally responded to the country’s Food and Beverage Industry Taskforce on Addressing Factors Contributing to Obesity’s report and its list of 51 recommendations.

Voluntary, but stricter: Australia, NZ opt for enhanced governance of sugar, sodium and dairy in health star rating system

27-Nov-2019 By Pearly Neo

Australia and New Zealand ministers have opted to keep implementation of the Health Star Rating (HSR) system by F&B companies voluntary, although stricter guidelines for the governance of sugar, sodium and dairy will be enforced to ‘increase efficiency’.

‘Disastrous and untimely’: Philippines senate pushes for sugarcane development over industry deregulation

27-Nov-2019 By Pearly Neo

The Philippines senate is advocating for the development of the country’s sugarcane industry instead of overall deregulation, in the wake of various setbacks that have battered the sector in recent months.

Policy Picks: India's junk food ban, Morocco's sugar tax, Australia's new dairy regulatory system and more feature in our round-up

22-Nov-2019 By Pearly Neo

India's junk food ban, Morocco's sugar tax, Australia's new dairy regulatory system and more feature in this edition of Policy Picks.

No more sweet tooth: Asian consumers moving towards more savoury cocoa profiles

20-Nov-2019 By Guan Yu Lim

Asian consumers are moving towards chocolate snack foods that have a typically less sweet flavour profile and are more open to savoury flavours, with darker chocolate flavours proving most popular.

Gulfood Manufacturing 2019

WATCH: ‘No single magic solution’: Why sugar reformulation is more than reduction - Tate & Lyle

20-Nov-2019 By Guan Yu Lim

Consumer interest in sugar and calorie reduction is growing in the Middle East, but manufacturers are faced with the double challenge of maintaining sweetness and compensating for the loss of mouthfeel.

One year on: Morocco still debating introducing sugar tax on soft drinks

20-Nov-2019 By Guan Yu Lim

The Moroccan Parliament is reviewing its 2020 finance bill including introducing a tax on beverages sweetened with sugar, after cancelling last year’s proposed tax due to pressure from manufacturers.

Four years in the making: Will FSSAI’s ban on ‘junk food’ activities near schools prevail?

19-Nov-2019 By Pearly Neo

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a set of legislations four years in the making, which would see F&B manufacturers banned from selling or promoting foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in or around school premises.

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