Cargill-owned Aalst Chocolate is putting “substantial investment” into insights-driven R&D, customised products, and strengthening of its bean-to-bar supply chain to push growth in Asia and beyond.
Singapore-based start-up Noce Nuts says that consumers are willing to pay a premium for nut butters that are customised to their preferred taste and texture, including reduced sugar and salt options.
Hindustan Unilever India (HUL) believes that strong market competition is on the way in the tea category from smaller players in the country, despite having successfully maintained profitability in the third quarter of the year.
The use of MSG as a flavouring agent should be reduced, according to researchers who have also emphasised the need for further research into the long-term biochemical effects of human consumption.
Asahi’s star-performing beer product Asahi Super Dry has helped to sustain the firm’s profitability and international growth even amid cost setbacks at its new domestic brewery in Tosu.
Kirin says that revenue from LC-Plasma, its flagship immune health ingredient, has grown significantly even during spring and summer this year, although these are seasons when consumers tend to take fewer precautions against infectious diseases.
Middle Eastern food and beverage heavyweight Agthia has pledged to focus more investment into the digitalisation of its business as well as the creation of new snacking innovations in order to sustain the positive growth and profitability seen in the...
Snacking giant Mondelez has highlighted continued strong demand for its snack brands such as Oreo and Cadbury in emerging markets as key to its Q3 profitability, playing down threats from cheaper supermarket private label products.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has launched a new version of its food safety platform in the local Hindi language in an effort to increase domestic food firm understanding and compliance of local regulations.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s heavy reliance on grain imports as a source of dietary calories and protein poses major risks to food security and nutrition level among its populations, say researchers.
Consumers in the Middle East are increasingly looking for protein-rich products to fulfil various needs, with claims ranging from sports performance to age-related muscle support.
Kirin Holdings’ health science-focused arm Kyowa Hakko says the versatility and stability of its postbiotic ingredient has enabled it to continue to enjoy commercial success beyond the surge of COVID-19.
Affordability and accessibility are just as important as product innovation if food firms are going to help meets Asia’s nutritional needs, in a region that is still beset by childhood stunting and rising rates of obesity and diabetes.
Nestle India has launched a variety of new products focused on millets as a key ingredient this year, in an effort to increase consumer acceptance and awareness via familiar product formats while also aligning with the Indian government’s International...
New Japanese government data has revealed that the country could be close to achieving its goal of having 80% of the population simultaneously aware of, and taking action against, food waste.
Precision fermentation firms in the Asia Pacific region need to move beyond a technology focus to prioritise scaling up and commercialisation or risk facing major ‘bottleneck’ challenges when demand increases.
New data from Thailand claims almost all ultra-processed food (UPF) products exceed the recommended daily amount of sodium and lack essential nutrients and minerals.
PepsiCo has highlighted collaborations with entrepreneurs as a ‘vital’ part of its strategy to achieve sustainable operations in the APAC region, amid the crowning of its regional Greenhouse Accelerator champion.
New data from Singapore has shown that the public’s perception on ‘healthy ageing’ as a term has become overly skewed to focus on intrinsic elements such as healthy diets, at the expense of extrinsic issues such as elder neglect and ageism.
Governments across the Middle East are ploughing in resources to increase food security and strengthen self-sufficiency, but where are the best opportunities for success, and how can considerable obstacles be overcome?
The supplementation of the amino acid glycine before bedtime has shown to improve sleep quality, alertness and reduce fatigue in healthy populations, according to findings of a recent review conducted by researchers from Singapore.
There is currently significant debate taking place over the timing for athletes to consume caffeine and reap the most benefits, a leading sports science researcher has pointed out.
World-first liquid shio koji brand Hanamaruki has big plans to ride on the growing umami and wellness trends in South East Asia, after seeing success in western and East Asian markets.
Beer heavyweight Carlsberg Malaysia has decided to persist with its portfolio premiumisation strategy and a new Sapporo partnership despite concerns over ‘weak’ consumer sentiment and diminished profitability in the third quarter of 2023.
Grocery e-commerce platform giant RedMart is seeing health and sustainability trends increasingly driving the purchasing decisions of consumers in Singapore, inspiring the firm to focus its own in-house product innovations on these factors.
Why do people buy meat alternatives? A new study reveals that values focused on one’s relationship to a group, such as ‘self-transcendence’, are far more likely to influence their decision to buy meat alternatives than ‘self-focused’ values such as a...
Auckland-based nut butter producer Forty Thieves is investing in social media content creation and influencer marketing to target online consumers, whom it says have increasingly shorter attention spans.
The South Korean government has set its sights on partnerships with the ministries of multiple Latin American countries to establish the region as its next major trade partner in terms of food exports.
China dairy giant Yili has secured ‘record high’ financial results in the first nine months of its financial year driven by liquid milk and ice cream category growth.
Nestle is debuting a new infant formula containing a proprietary blend in Hong Kong in November 2023. The blend is said to be an “all-round” nutrition for supporting multiple growth areas, including digestive, bone, and cognitive health.
A new cross-sector partnership aims to help millers produce adequately fortified staple foods in eight countries across Asia and Africa to tackle high rates of micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition among these populations.
The nutritional value of plant-based meats is limited by lack of key micronutrients, although they contain significantly less saturated fat, indicates an assessment of products on the Hong Kong market.
The nut butter industry in Asia Pacific is targeting pricing strategies and novel applications as it seeks to achieve mainstream success beyond being ‘just a spread’, according to industry experts.
Although efforts show progress on plastic pollution is possible, the world is ‘not on course’ to eliminating plastic waste and pollution, stresses the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Food firms need to be increasingly savvy when it comes to meeting growing consumer demands for fortified and reformulated products, in order to remain cost competitive in the current economic environment.
Sunsweet’s ingredients arm is optimistic that stable recovery is incoming for prunes and prune-derived products in Thailand on the back of rising demand after a standstill during the pandemic period.
Saudi Arabian F&B heavyweight Almarai has posted significant growth and profits in the first nine months of 2023 driven by stringent cost management and gains in the poultry category to offset Egyptian currency challenges.
Asia Pacific consumers are increasingly demanding a combination of affordability, health and tastiness when making their food and beverage purchasing decisions, driving the rise of what is known as the ‘and’ consumer.
Asian millennial consumers’ demand for novel and higher-value sports and active nutrition products could play instrumental role in accelerating growth of the sector, insights from GlobalData reveal.
Japan’s decision to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster could have far-reaching impacts for the APAC seafood sector, especially in terms of negative consumer perception and overall confusion.
Personalised nutrition innovators need to better consider the entire ecosystem spanning health data collection and analysis, alongside new products, says an industry expert from Nestle.
Greater attention should be paid to diet and nutrient intake, especially vitamin D, to improve bone mineral density among premenopausal women, say Saudi Arabian researchers.
China-based clean label brand Haofood is putting extra efforts into innovation while maintaining focus on taste and affordability to boost consumer adoption of plant-based diets.
China dairy giant Junlebao believes that the concentration of a specific variant of DHA molecules – the sn-2 DHA – plays a crucial role in the absorption and efficacy of infant formulas, and has called for industry collaboration to increase understanding...
Chinese 3D food printing firm MOODLES believes that this technology needs to be efficiently incorporated into the production of personalised nutrient-rich staple foods that consumers will eat on a daily basis if the sector wants to grow locally.
Thailand-based Hippo Energy Drink believes that its combination of health, natural ingredients and low sugar offerings can help it build on its initial success in South East Asia and take on major brand competitors in the category.
olam food ingredients’ (ofi’s) flavour experts share their predictions on how families will tap into this season’s flavour trends to create a ‘Spooktacular’ 31 October.
Consumption of food-derived oligopeptides has been linked with an increased rate of triglyceride breakdown, enhanced the uptake of non-esterified fatty acids, and the promotion of fat oxidation, both during periods of inactivity and exercise among cyclists.
Hybrid innovation with meat and plant-based ingredients, affordability and a focus on the needs of flexitarians is needed to boost the protein sector in APAC over the long-term.