China has announced new regulations and a renewed focus on the quality and safety of functional foods being sold in the country, as part of a series of crackdowns meant to reinforce food safety in the country.
Continued research and development combined with exposure will drive and strengthen the functional foods market in Asia Pacific, according to analysis.
Beneo is still waiting for an approval from the Indian authorities for the use of its prebiotic fibre, oligofructose, in infant milk powder products in the country.
Galactofructose specialist Solvay has inked a deal with 20-year-old Indian company, Lactose India, to take the Belgian firm’s digestive health ingredient into the Indian market for the first time.
Danish probiotics giant Chr Hansen says its just-announced alliance with a Japanese botanical supplement maker will yield plant-probiotic combination food supplement products on European and global markets kicking off in Q1 2012.
Danisco has developed a new range of freeze-dried cultures for the Indian dahi market and has also targeted its health and nutrition ingredients range for use in the country’s dairy products.
Swiss supplier Lonza will open a new vitamin B3 manufacturing facility in China in 2012 that will significantly lower production costs for the vitamin and boost output by 40%.
Campaigns against vitamin D deficiency have gained prominence in the western world but the dietary issue is just as relevant in Asia, according to supplier DSM, even if sunlight hours are greater than most regions.
DSM is extending its Delvo Fresh dairy culture line with the launch of a dahi culture range, developed to meet local consumer preferences in India, says the company.
In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japanese scientists from the Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre are working towards a potential solution for the future of Japanese rice farmers – a strain of rice resilient to cesium absorption.
Improving rice yields is a major challenge in India today but a high quality grain needs to be a key focus of rice breeding efforts, according to a spokesperson at Bayer CropScience.
Demand from the food industry will see the market for Omega-3 ingredients rise substantially over the next few years, a report from the market research and consulting firm MarketsandMarkets said.
Amendments to 2009 laws that saw 27 health and nutrition claims approved in China will see the number reduced to 18, as momentum grows toward a European Union-style emphasis on human clinical data.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) will continue a 15-year collaborative period with Australian food company Clover Corporation, by engaging in a new initiative to develop encapsulation techniques for infant and medical...
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a web-powered initiative to clarify guidance on life-saving nutrition interventions, and assist governments and healthcare providers to combat malnutrition.
Nestlé Sri Lanka has launched an up-market omega-3 fortified infant formula developed at its Swiss-based research centre, as it boosts activity on the south Asian island.
Demand for immune health ingredients in Asia is growing at an annual rate of 6.2 per cent, with revenues expected to reach US$1.46bn in 2016 from US$958.6m in 2009, a research report from consulting and research firm Frost & Sullivan predicted.
A lawyer pursuing a high-profile anti-trust case against four Chinese firms accused of fixing the price of vitamin C in the US says he expects the judge reviewing the case to make a ruling “any week now”.
New York-based Maypro Group has finally revealed its ‘quiet’ program to donate potassium iodide supplements to Japanese locals at risk from the recent nuclear incident, and asks if there is a way to turn this into a wider industry fundraising effort.
Immature rice grains may contain ‘a remarkable amount of bioactive compounds’, giving them great potential for applications in nutraceutical foods, according to new research.
The Wrigley Company is launching a new calcium enriched gum in Australia and New Zealand, claiming its ‘on-the-go’ delivery system can help address the reported calcium intake deficiency among 90 per cent of the Australian population.
Pakistan’s Sindh state is set to make the iodisation of salt compulsory in a bid to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders in the state, where over 50 per cent of the population is at risk.
Booming sales of omega-3 fortified cooking oil in China may show how countries with nutritional deficiencies can boost the nutritional intakes of a population, said a leading omega-3 figure.
The United Nations is promoting the use of zinc supplements in Nepal to battle acute infant diarrhoea that kills 15,000 under-5s per year in the Himalayan state.
India’s Avesthagen Limited has announced the completion of its development of microalgae-derived DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), with the technology validated for commercialization.
GLG Life Tech’s joint venture in China has been given the go-ahead by Chinese authorities to provide its stevia-derived sweeteners for use in foods and beverages, the company has said.
New Zealand opposition party members are calling on the government to fortify the country’s flour supply and bread output with folic acid, following reports of the success of a similar program across the Tasman Sea in Australia.
Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), an alliance of Nestlé and General Mills, said that a large percentage of its cereal brands sold in Australia including Cheerios have been endorsed by the Heart Foundation there through its Tick programme.
Vitamin charity Vitamin Angels and DSM’s Sight and Life are addressing vitamin A deficiency in Indian children by establishing a sustainable supply and distribution system promoting “local ownership” of the deficiency problem.
A cranberry ingredient from US firm Proprietary Nutritionals Inc (PNI) can be supported by a health claim in the Korean market, after the nation’s regulator approved a claim linking it to urinary tract health.
Lonza has confirmed that its planned vitamin B3 production expansion will occur in China, where the firm expects a double digit surge in demand for the ingredient in coming years.
AkzoNobel’s National Starch business has acquired Penford’s Australian specialty starch business in order to shorten its supply chain for specialty corn starches in the region - despite National Starch being up for sale.
A new partnership with chemical group Solvay will enable the distribution of a low dosage prebiotic food ingredient with multiple food and drink applications within Europe, the Middle East and Africa, claims Tate & Lyle.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has announced that as of Sunday, Australian bread makers must use folic acid-enriched flour to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns.
The New Zealand baking industry has said it will move towards a voluntary fortification of some breads with folic acid as the government is expected to delay plans for mandatory fortification.
The mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid in New Zealand is likely to be delayed for another three years, following heated debate over the risks and benefits of adding the synthetic B vitamin to bread.
A New Zealand company has applied to the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) for novel foods approval to market its honeybee venom to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis.
Australian bakers have until October 9 to replace all regular salt with iodised salt when making bread products, as the Australian government attempts address an iodine deficiency that has been noticed among sections of the country’s 22 million inhabitants.
The Singapore Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has approved five nutrient and product-specific health claims that can now bear a ‘Healthier Choice’ symbol.
While analyst suggests Asian food and drink companies are behind their Western counterparts in driving product innovation, manufacturers in the region may still be able to lead in way in meeting western demand for certain functional goods.
Coca-Cola South Pacific has applied to the joint regulator in Australia and New Zealand to allow phytosterols to be added to fruit juice drinks in the two countries.
Finnish group Raisio has won a hard-to-come-by approval for its Benecol cholesterol lowering plant stanol ester ingredients in China, as it continues its push to develop new markets.
Canadian probiotics supplier, Lallemand, has responded to the growing wealth and interest in healthy foods in China by formalising an existing probiotics-based partnership with a Chinese nutrition company.
