Traditional and staple foods

Seizing the senses: Diversification and hybrid innovation key to boosting APAC plant-based sector

25-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The plant-based industry in Asia Pacific will need to further boost product diversification and hybrid innovation strategies it is to continue to grow amid a slowdown in the West.

Low-sodium salt diet lowers blood pressure in hypertensive, diabetic patients – China eight-week RCT

18-Sep-2023 By Si Ying Thian

Hypertensive and diabetic patients could benefit from diets prepared using low-sodium salt, with blood pressure significantly reduced following an eight-week intervention, findings from a China study showed.

GM foods in South Korea: Government calls for ‘scientific input only’ in new public consultation for three food items

13-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has opened three food safety reports on genetically modified soybean, corn and canola for public comment, with the caveat that all opinions submitted must be ‘based on science and logic’ or risk being ignored.

Who will pay? APAC cocoa industry says EU Deforestation Regulation could create ‘two-tier market’

12-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The cocoa and chocolates industry in Asia Pacific is concerned that the EU Deforestation Regulation could lead a two-tier market for cocoa beans, which could have far-ranging cost and pricing implications.

‘Long-awaited’ result: New Zealand food sector welcomes new Grocery Code but devil is in the detail

06-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand food trade body has welcomed the government’s new Grocery Code of Conduct, calling it a ‘long-awaited’ result – but stressed that a thorough examination of the details and industry education are now key to ensure it fulfils its purpose.

Thailand prepackaged food labelling: New rules proposed for expiry dates and allergen warnings

04-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand could be set to revamp its rules around expiration dates and allergen warnings after regulator Thai Food and Drug Association (FDA) issued draft proposals for prepackaged foods

‘Unpuzzling’ Asia’s food trends: Twin demands for health and affordability key for success

31-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands looking to make inroads into Asia need to tread the line between growing health consciousness and increasing consumer concerns over costs.

Clearing the funding hump: Saudi invests in camel dairy firm to bolster industry growth amid economy diversification

24-Aug-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has set up a new firm called Sawani Company to catalyse the growth of the local camel dairy sector, as part of its efforts to transform the country’s economy.

High yield, low cost: NZ researchers eyeing food manufacturer partnerships to commercialise kanuka by-products

23-Aug-2023 By Si Ying Thian

New Zealand researchers are optimistic that the flavouring, preserving, and texturing benefits provided by the native kanuka plant will lead to its effective commercialisation as a food ingredient.

‘Seafood still safe’: South Korea launches national campaign amid impending Fukushima wastewater release

16-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has launched a national campaign to reassure consumers that the national seafood supply will not be impacted by neighbouring Japan’s impending release of wastewater from Fukushima.

‘New avenue of justice’: How much can new China IP protection policies aid Zespri’s quest against unlicensed kiwifruits?

14-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

New IP protection policies in China could help New Zealand kiwifruit powerhouse Zespri to pursue its fight against individuals growing and selling its golden kiwifruit.

Volatile variability: Unilever India stresses caution for food business despite positive growth

14-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has highlighted it will be proceeding cautiously in managing its food business for the rest of the year despite positive results in Q2FY2023, citing continued volatile climate changes and inflationary pressures.

Eatvolution taps on high-nutrient and prebiotic-enriched chickpea rice to capture Thailand’s health-conscious consumers

09-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand’s Eatvolution has developed a chickpea rice alternative that is richer in nutrients and lower in carbohydrates as it seeks to entice increasingly health-conscious consumers as well as diabetic patients.

Mitigating supply chain risks: Alternative sourcing and top-level food sector commitment key to boost resilience – Nestle, Rabobank

09-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage business leaders in Asia need to issue clear and committed directives for supply chain resilience and secure alternative sourcing regimes to mitigate future disruption risks.

Palm oil replacement ‘not the answer’: Nestle taps satellite tech for sustainability amid EU Deforestation Regulation debate

07-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle has voiced support for the continued use of palm oil in the food and beverage sector amid intense debate surrounding the recently-enacted EU Deforestation Regulation, while also striving to guarantee its supply chain sustainability using advance...

Military millets: India’s food and defence ministries formalise agreement to boost government-level millet consumption

02-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) and India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) have officially agreed to collaboratively boost millet consumption at the government level, starting with the nation’s armed forces.

Tetra Pak Exclusive Part II: The importance of empowering consumers via healthier, more sustainable product innovation

02-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Tetra Pak believes that food and beverage brands today need to meet consumers’ increasing emotional needs in terms of feeling ‘empowered’ when making purchasing choices, such as offering them innovative product options that are healthier or more sustainable.

Easing customs congestion: Thai FDA launches express digital service to accelerate processing of F&B imports

01-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand is the latest Asian market to establish a fully digitalised express customs processing service, which is hoped to greatly accelerate food and beverage import operations at its checkpoints in line with the national Thailand 4.0 strategy.

Show us the criteria: Malaysian palm oil sector calls for ‘more transparency’ from EU on Deforestation Regulation amidst high-risk listing debate

01-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

The palm oil industry in Malaysia is calling for the European Union (EU) to provide more clarity over how it will define ‘high-risk’ countries under its recently-approved Deforestation Regulation, stressing that current scientific data has already demonstrated...

Positive push: Format and flavour innovation drives Nestle Malaysia Q2 back to profitability

31-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia says extensive format and flavour innovations in its product development have helped d drive healthy Q2FY2023 business growth, giving the firm renewed confidence in its ability to secure a profitable rest of the year.

China a ‘trap’ for F&B brands? Why practicality and sustainability need to be top of mind to thrive – expert panel

25-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage firms in China need to ensure that practicality and business sustainability are kept at the top of their agenda in order to avoid the ‘trap’ of easy brand building in the world’s most populous market.

A ‘momentous’ occasion: New Zealand food sector urges swift grocery code of conduct implementation following commissioner appointment

24-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand food and grocery industry has urged for the swift establishment of its own local grocery code of conduct to hasten the improvement of competition and fair business conditions, whilst also lauding the appointment of industry veteran Pierre...

Tetra Pak Exclusive Part I: How localisation in packaging can drive purchases in APAC

24-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Global packaging heavyweight Tetra Pak has revealed the importance of considering cultural contexts and integrating localisation strategies into packaging innovation in APAC.

FNA InnovATE

‘No sacrifice, no problem’: OnlyEg rapidly cracking APAC and Middle East markets with RTE plant-based eggs

19-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Singapore-based OnlyEg has rapidly grown its presence in various markets across the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions with a focus on the taste and texture of its ‘no sacrifice’ plant-based eggs, available in a multitude of ready-to-eat (RTE) formats.

Upgrading umami understanding: Ajinomoto lauds new Japanese study on amino acid potential to reduce consumer salt intake

18-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Amino acid specialist firm Ajinomoto has lauded the findings of a new Japanese study which highlighted the potential of umami ingredients, such as the various glutamate-based substances, to reduce consumer salt intake and improve public health.

High ranks, low scores? India State Food Safety Index data reveals lack of compliance even in top performing states

17-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Date from India’s latest State Food Safety Index (SFSI) conducted annually by the Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has revealed that many states still perform poorly across the assessment criteria, even amongst its top scoring states.

Enhancing efficiency: South Korea further refines imported food regulations to speed up customs processing

11-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has implemented further refinements to its regulations governing imported food products an effort to speed up processing at customs, particularly for bulk imports. well as to boost its international trade.

Will AI make human roles obsolete? Three major concerns about the use of AI in food production

10-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

There are three major concerns about the use of AI in the food industry, with the majority of benefits at present related to market research and advertising strategies – as evidenced by Coca-Cola – according to an industry expert.

Purchasing patterns: Packaged foods lead Chinese consumer spending in 2022

05-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Instant noodles and premium products led strong growth in China’s packaged food sector throughout 2022 - but significant inflationary price hikes mean that this continuous growth is unlikely for 2023, according to a new local report.

‘No benefit, no use’: Amway China reveals efforts to reduce artificial colouring, preservatives and excipients in health foods

28-Jun-2023 By Tingmin Koe

Amway China has revealed plans to reduce the use of artificial colouring, preservatives, and sweeteners in its dietary supplement range as part of its sustainability efforts.

Food supply safety: Australia sees lowest rate of allergen-related product recalls in close to a decade – government data

26-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

A new Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) report has revealed that food and beverage products recalled from shelves in Australia last year due to allergen concerns have reached the lowest rate the country has seen in almost a decade.

Immunity benefits: China adds soy protein isolate, whey protein to health foods raw material directory

26-Jun-2023 By Tingmin Koe

China health foods authorities are including soy protein isolate and whey protein to the country’s Health Food Raw Material Directory – Nutrition Supplement, which means that products containing these two ingredients could make specific health claims.

Nutritional labelling catch-up: Vietnam moves to implement mandatory regulations and align with international standards

21-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Vietnam has moved to implement regulations that will mandate the display of nutritional labelling according to national standards on all qualifying food and beverage products in the country, progressing from its previous voluntary labelling system.

Positive tidings: PepsiCo’s first APAC accelerator programme seeks innovative solutions to boost value chain sustainability

19-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

PepsiCo has launched the first edition of its Greenhouse Accelerator programme in the Asia Pacific region, seeking inventive solutions focused on sustainable packaging and climate change reduction.

Country-of-origin labelling: South Korea seeks public opinion on standardising label requirements for food products

13-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

South Korea is looking to standardise the regulations governing country-of-origin information mandatory to be displayed food and beverages both produced locally and imported into the country, in an attempt to ease high cost burdens highlighted by manufacturers.

Strengthening supplies: Japan looks to international food trade collaborations in latest bid to beef up food security

05-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Japan recently inked several new food trade agreements with the governments of Bangladesh and Canada as it seeks to improve food security in the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Eat your greens: Post-COVID-19 fruit and vegetable purchases in Japan see major boost

22-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

New data from a national government survey in Japan has revealed significantly more purchasing of fruits and vegetables in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by health awareness and convenience trends in the country.

FAO Exclusive Part I: MNCs have ‘huge responsibility’ to improve food supply diversification and nutrition

22-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Major food firms need to step up to the plate and ‘take a close look’ at their business models in order to help improve food supply diversity and nutritional value, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Chief Scientist has told us...

Guilt-free luxury: Consumer pursuit for healthy indulgence in the Middle East fuelling demand for clean label

18-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Middle Eastern consumers’ rising interest in foods and beverages that are healthy and indulgent, yet still easy to recognise, have led to increased demands for brands to focus on clean label ingredient lists, according to Olam Food Ingredients (ofi).

Fortification for the future: Government role crucial to ensure widespread affordable nutrition via staple foods

10-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The role of governments is crucial to introduce affordable proper nutrition to mass consumers via the fortification of staple foods, particularly in countries with large populations such as India and China.

‘Samples Only’: Philippines FDA sets strict import guidelines for unregistered food products used for R&D

10-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration is implementing new strict import guidelines for food and beverage items that manufacturers want to use for R&D.

Salt and sugar reduction: Kraft Heinz says China, Indonesia plans key part of APAC ESG commitments

09-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Global food giant Kraft Heinz has revealed salt and sugar reduction projects for major markets such as China and Indonesia, with the firm stating its nutritional strategy is a key part of its regional sustainability commitments.

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.

Reaching the endgame: Korea Ginseng Corp views success in the US as final step of its globalisation strategy

08-May-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Korea Ginseng Corp has opened a new R&D centre in a major push to establish itself as the world’s biggest herbal health company, while strategies such as diversification of product categories and formats are in motion to fuel its bold ambitions.

Wheat replacement: South Korea partners with local food brands to intensify rice flour NPD

26-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korea government is working with 15 big local food brands to develop more food products using rice flour as a wheat replacement to slash reliance on imports and boost food security.

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.

Coffee with respect: Nestle aims to maximise Malaysian sector potential via NESCAFE sustainability strategy

24-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia has highlighted its ambitions to advance the domestic coffee sector by drilling down into local trends and improving crop yields via its NESCAFE Grown Respectfully sustainability strategy.

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.