Rising awareness amongst Thai consumers regarding the potential unhealthy connotations associated with long expiry dates is a key factor driving up the demand for clean label food ingredients in the country, according to leading industry experts.
The interest in cleaner and better-for-you snacks shown by big food and beverage brands, including Mondelez, Nestle and Vitasoy, is paving the way for a new specialised area of plant-based proteins to enter the market, namely the RuBisCo leaf protein.
Vietnam-based fruit multinational Les Vergers du Mekong is banking on its centralised production location and fresh fruit-only guarantee to expand its presence in retail markets across Asia, on the back of a successful leap from HORECA to modern trade...
Regulatory pressure from Asian governments will drive food and beverage firms to use natural colours, with it rapidly becoming less of a trend and more of a necessity.
Global and regional plant-based protein brands should be prepared to face a reticent crowd should they plan to enter Japan at this juncture, according to the CEO and co-founder of alternative egg firm UMAMI United, Hiroto Yamazaki.
Guaranteeing the supply chain stability of natural colours to ensure manufacturers can be assured of product consistency has taken on extra importance in the post-COVID-19 era, claims GNT.
Consumers in the Asia Pacific region will continue to be strongly driven by products with clean label and positive nutrition claims moving into the new year, with food and beverage brands also set to boost innovation to meet these demands.
Malaysian plant-based protein firm the Ultimeat Group plans to tailor its formulation and packaging to every market it intends to enter from 2023 to 2024.
The Chinese packaged food sector is set to experience market growth at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2021 to 2026, especially for snacks, savouries, dairy and beverages.
Reformulation and new production development of dairy products, dried foods, bakery and snacks, along with beverages, are driving stevia growth in China and the wider Asia Pacific region, claims global ingredient firm Tate & Lyle.
India’s edible oils and food giant B. L. Agro Industries is gearing up for a rapid increase in production as it seeks to cement its position in the domestic market.
Flavour enhancement products today need to not only cater to consumers’ clean label demands, but also be made using clean energy if firms wish to capitalise on the current wellness and sustainability trends that are on the rise in the China and Middle...
Disease outbreaks, such as swine flu affecting pork quality and the COVID-19 pandemic hitting supply chains, have raised the profile of plant-based products among lower-income consumers in Thailand, according to a brand CEO.
The expertise of global food corporations and VC firms is urgently needed to drive the Thai foodtech system and help build a regulatory framework for novel foods, while also offering more support to start-ups.
Chennai-based nutraceutical and food firm Diabliss Consumer Products is developing another 10 herbal water supplements – on top of its five existing products – to tap the lucrative potential of the general wellness market in the country.
Olam says it is on a mission to improve low consumer awareness of ‘natural and sustainable’ alternative nut butters in Asia in a bid to open up new product development opportunities for the entire category.
The Asian plant-based protein start-up scene is geared to grow 25% by 2025 as more Asians look into flexitarian diets and firms region-wide strive to develop products better suited to their palate.
Plant-based meat in a dry, ambient format could provide the alternative protein industry with cleaner and more convenient options that can simultaneously also offer longer shelf-life and stability.
Turkey’s newest edible oil brand SUNKOY is targeting a 10% stake in the country’s oil exports by 2023, despite facing speed bumps from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Turkey’s honey brand Polenkoy is targeting a deeper reach into the Asian market after achieving 30% growth year-on-year through its partners in India and Australia.
Indian consumers are increasingly leaning toward dark chocolate due to higher awareness of its benefits, according to the founder of the country’s D2C hot chocolate beverage firm Tiggle, Anuva Kakkar.
Asia Pacific consumers are increasingly turning to the back of food packaging to check ingredient lists, before considering any front-of-pack health claims, with interest in clean label products seemingly gathering pace.
Extreme weather events from heat waves and droughts to ‘hundred-year storms’ happening every two years, the impact of climate change is obvious. And few industries are witnessing the impact as much as botanical supply chain.
Singapore traceability technology firm Natural Trace believes it has pioneered a world-first category of in-product tagging based on DNA markers integrated directly within food and beverage products, creating a watermark of sorts that could solve traceability...
Safe Food Advocacy Europe has long been campaigning for an official definition of the term ‘natural’. Yet not all industry players are on board, we are told. How could a legal definition benefit both consumers and the planet?
The ‘clean label’ trend does not remain stagnant. Mintel’s Emma Schofield, Associate Director, Global Food Science, reveals how the trend is evolving in the face of changing regulation, interest is degrees of processing, and environmentally friendly consumers.
Attaining global leadership in the tempeh or traditional fermented bean cake market requires innovative formulations and securing buy-in beyond health-conscious vegan consumers, according to the founder of Singapore’s Angie’s Tempeh.
Rice noodle brand Foodle Noodle has launched its first clean label instant cup noodles range in Thailand, offering local flavours with all-organic ingredients as a healthier, more convenient option to appeal to younger consumers leading a fast-paced lifestyle.
The flavour innovation process for brands in the APAC region is being increasingly driven by culture and localisation, with many of the region’s bigger food firms already grasping the importance of this trend.
Asia Pacific will witness a spate of public and private food upcycling initiatives within the next few years in a bid to reduce waste, with plans afoot to turn potatoes into plastic and scaled-up anaerobic digesters to generate heat and electricity for...
Investing in the alternative protein sector has one of the biggest impacts on decarbonization when assessed in terms of the market value of avoided CO2e emissions per dollar invested in mitigation efforts, claims a new report.
Fruit product heavyweight Dole has revealed plans to focus on developing more clean label and fortified juice products for the Asia Pacific market, citing rising consumer interest in the region as a major motivation.
Olam’s new direct-to-consumer (D2C) nuts brand Re- says it is tapping into three major trends – traceability, sustainability and health – as it eyes expansion from its Singapore launchpad into wider Asia, the US and UK.
Products with a healthier focus are the next major trend within frozen foods sector, with NPD thriving from countries with advanced cold chain systems such as Australia to those with less developed logistics such as India.
Beverage manufacturers in the Asia Pacific region wanting to follow Coca-Cola’s lead by launching red-coloured beverages need to offer products that both fulfil the visual appeal, as well as clean label demands of consumers.
While consumers are clamouring for healthier beverages across APAC, spanning sugar reduction and the added functionality, the regulatory landscape still poses a significant challenge for brands.
India-based organic children’s food firm Slurrp Farm is targeting retail expansion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a market which it believes is key to achieving major growth.
Innovating at both ends of the price spectrum can fuel Asia’s booming plant-based sector for the long term, say regional experts, who believe that the sector is now at the tipping point of achieving sustained mainstream success.
Maintaining price parity and maximising taste are two key priorities when formulating healthy and plant-based products, according to exclusive insights revealed by Nestle’s Malaysia and Singapore CEO Juan Aranols.
Policy chiefs in the Philippines have circulated guidelines for food firms to eliminate the use of Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA) in pre-packaged processed foods by next year, including prohibiting the use of on-pack claims such as ‘TFA-free’.
Singaporean food tech firm KosmodeHealth has successfully demonstrated the low-GI - or rather, 'zero-GI' - benefits of its W0W Noodles with evidence from a new research study.
Singapore basmati brand Sameza is looking to place its premium low-GI basmati rice into more supermarkets in the country, as well as enter North America where they believe there is a lack of innovation in the category.
India’s first certified clean label brand True Elements has incorporated a traceability component for all its products down to the ingredient level to provide an added measure of assurance to consumers looking for cleaner, healthier products.
Singapore plant-based meat and seafood manufacturer Growthwell Foods has launched its latest consumer brand HAPPIEE!, which will be produced at a newly established innovation, R&D and manufacturing centre.
Australia’s largest organic children’s snacking brand Whole Kids is expanding its presence in its strongholds of ANZ with plans to enter local Aldi stores, as well as launch products into South Korea via a partnership with Baby Shark creator Pinkfong.
Singapore start-up Zenko Superfoods has unveiled plans to distribute its healthy snacks into Australia and South East Asia, including its flagship water lily pops.
