Traditional and staple foods

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.

‘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.

‘A laughably self-serving study’: Industry backlash over fake manuka honey claims

14-Apr-2023 By Flora Southey

New Zealand’s manuka industry is being accused of misleading consumers after it alleged honey derived from species other than the Leptospermum outside of New Zealand is inauthentic.

Medium GI rice intake reduces insulin therapy in women with gestational diabetes – Thailand study

12-Apr-2023 By Tingmin Koe

The intake of rice with a medium glycemic index (GI) has shown to reduce the need for insulin therapy among women with gestational diabetes, according to a four-week clinical trial conducted in Thailand.

‘Appalling lack of awareness’: More to be done to convince consumers of low-GI rice benefits

11-Apr-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

The Little Rice Company says its low-GI brown rice is gaining popularity in Myanmar, but the firm is faced with challenges in wooing consumers of its home market in Singapore.

Transparency versus clarity: New Nestle nutrition data shows difficulties posed by APAC’s fragmented health rating systems

10-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

New data from Nestle’s new attempt to use the Health Star Rating (HSR) system to benchmark its portfolio has revealed a positive nutritional picture for its global portfolio – but a closer look at local assessments of APAC markets reveal the difficulties...

Millet measures: India sets new food safety standards for traditional cereal in anticipation of production boom

05-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

India has implemented new comprehensive food safety and quality standards for millets in the country in anticipation of a production and demand boom as the United Nations has designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

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.

FNA DEEP DIVE: COFFEE

Caffeine culture: Nestle, Suntory among coffee brands highlighting localisation and RTD innovation as key drivers

29-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Coffee consumers in the Asia Pacific region are increasingly making purchasing decisions that are driven by by localisation and ready-to-drink format innovation, according to industry heavyweights such as Nestle, Suntory and Movenpick.

Kiwi then kip: Consuming kiwifruit with evening meal linked to improved sleep and mood – study

29-Mar-2023 By Si Ying Thian

New Zealand researchers have found that consuming fresh or dried kiwifruits, alongside a standard evening meal, led to significant improvements on the sleep quality and mood scores of participants.

Certification clarity: Vegan logo application only needed for processed food products - India food safety authority

28-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has assured food firms dealing in ‘vegan by default’ products that they do not need to have the new national vegan logo displayed on their products and need not undergo the certification process...

Tea is trending but novel innovation needed to entice younger consumers – Unilever, Asahi, YATE insights

28-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Tea-based beverages are emerging as a growing trend in APAC, but manufacturers need to integrate novelty and excitement into their beverage innovation in order to attract and maintain the attention of younger consumers.

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.