Rising affluence is driving premiumisation and innovation in the meat sector in South East Asia (SEA), but there is still ample space for NPD, not least in the snacking category.
Increasingly challenging consumer demands for products that can satisfy both taste and convenience needs are accelerating format and flavour innovation within the ready-to-cook (RTC) foods sector, according to Tyson’s APAC VP.
Eating cultivated seafood will become a “more efficient” way to consume protein by slashing waste, while also removing fears over the intake of microplastics, according to Singapore-based firm Avant.
The ability to accurately convert consumer demands and preferences into real, technical product concepts remains a key challenge for the plant-based sector in the APAC region, according to industry experts at Roquette.
FNA DEEP DIVE: CULTIVATED MEAT & FERMENTATION TECH
Novel protein production technologies such as cultivated meat and precision fermentation are seeing consumer acceptance soar in APAC, but are still some way off achieving price parity for the everyday consumer due to challenges with regulations and scale.
Two US-based precision fermentation startups making real dairy ingredients using microbes instead of cows have announced significant developments as they gear up to launch next year in the emerging ‘animal-free dairy’ category.
Offering plant-based meat in a wider range of formats and targeting new demographics such as toddlers is key to attract new and loyal consumers, according to Kerry.
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.
Insect protein-based foods in the Asia Pacific region have a distinct advantage in terms of production costs and are ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, but market readiness still remains the main bottleneck for the sector to fully thrive...
China’s plant-based and cultured meat market is getting increasingly competitive, but industry collaboration and product localisation are going to be crucial if it is to become more ‘relevant’ to consumers.
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.
Food and beverage major CP Foods has identified the strengthening of its water management, food safety standards and healthy product innovation as key strategies to help the company with its business sustainability ambitions.
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.
The long-term imperative driving meat alternatives is clear: We only have one planet, with a growing population and finite resources, and raising animals to feed them all just takes up too many of them, says Tom Mastrobuoni, chief investment officer at...
Thai Union has outlined ambitious goals for its in-house plant-based meat and seafood range OMG Meat over the next three years, including for its alternative protein sector to be bringing in US$30mn of revenue by 2025.
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.
Frozen poultry giant Sadia says that frozen chicken can be the answer to solving Singapore’s supply instability concerns in the wake of shortages from previous top supplier Malaysia, as freshness, nutrition and flavour can all be well-maintained if handled...
One of Australia’s leading nutrition experts and senior CEOs will be making the case for meat at our forthcoming Growth Asia Summit, in the wake of an explosion of interest in the plant-based protein sector.
Singapore food giant OTS Holdings aims to export its plant-based brand ANEW to markets where plant-based awareness, penetration and adoption rates are already high to overcome the Asian consumer reluctance to “let go” of conventional meat.
One of China’s plant-based protein pioneers will be sharing exclusive insights on how the sector plans to accelerate its growth at our forthcoming Growth Asia Summit in Singapore.
Cultivated seafood pioneer Shiok Meats has revealed that its production costs have now dropped to the coveted US$50/kg milestone, bringing it even closer to realising its commercial launch plans by the end of 2023.
A leading exec at the first company to get regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat products will be sharing the strategies behind its journey to the market at our forthcoming Growth Asia Summit in Singapore.
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...
Innovations in blockchain, QR codes and a wealth of outside investments have propelled the global halal food sector, with Malaysia becoming a key beneficiary, according to new data.
Conventional red meat is a better source of protein and delivers more essential amino acids than plant-based alternatives, based on results from a New Zealand RCT.
Price and distribution are the two most prominent challenges the alternative sector will have to overcome if it wants to meet the global protein demand.
Food and beverage MNC Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) has highlighted food safety, convenience and alternative proteins as major industry trends set drive consumer purchasing decisions in the next decade.
Too many plant-based firms are ‘overengineering ingredients’ and ‘forcing solutions’ on investors and consumers, without paying enough attention to Asian culture and context, according to a regional expert in the alternative protein space.
There is still a long way to go for cell-cultured meat to become a viable meat alternative due to factors such as the large investment required, cost to the consumer, scalability and the bioavailability of nutrients for good nutrition.
CP Foods’ partner in cultivated meat production Future Meat Technologies (FMT) believes that successfully cracking the code to cultivated dark meat production is the sector’s best solution to conquering Asia Pacific consumers, due to an unusual fascination...
Frozen food from meat- and poultry-processing plants or markets can be contaminated with the COVID-19 virus, according to a new paper published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC).
Cultivated meat firm GOOD Meat aims to multiply its output by building second plants in both Singapore and the US as it strives to take lab-grown protein mainstream.
Food recalls in Australia dropped last year from 109 to 80, according to new data released by the regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
Japanese cultured meat firm Integriculture has highlighted its co-culture technology as one of the fastest ways to bring down the cost of cellular agriculture and allow more F&B industry players to become part of the cultured meat sector.
The cultivated protein sector holds a distinct advantage over its plant-based counterparts by having better relationships with existing big meat and food industry brands, but more work still needs to be done in terms of boosting government partnerships...
The rapid adoption of digitalisation and robotics is making serious waves to amplify China’s status in the food and agtech sectors, claims a leading regional investment expert.
Shanghai plant-based firm Haofood has exclusively revealed its ambitious expansion spans, both at home and abroad, after receiving a major funding boost from investors.
Food and nutrition-based businesses across APAC have reported continued logistics problems plaguing their supply chains due to rising costs and customs delays, some of which still stem from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Green Rebel, an alternative protein start-up from Indonesia offering whole-cut plant-based meat for the Asian taste bud, aims to be on major Singapore supermarket shelves by Q3.
The scale of Singapore’s challenge to achieve 30% food self-sufficiency by 2030 has been underlined by new data released by the city state’s national food agency.
The alternative protein sector in China – more commonly known as New Protein locally – is hopeful that it could finally get its own Green Financing system in line with China’s 2060 carbon neutrality goals, similar to existing financing systems in the...
Asia’s foodtech start-ups are increasingly innovating beyond soy and pea in the plant-based space, with several firms catching the eye of regional experts.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics solutions to tackle the challenges plaguing the food supply chain in China have been unveiled as the nation strives to meet soaring demand and enhance nutritional quality.
Hybrid meat products comprising ‘real’ meat and plant-based meat have been hailed as one of the steadiest strategies available for the alternative protein industry to convert consumers, gain acceptance and maximise its reach in Asian markets.
We are speak to experts from major brands to assess the five top trends that look set to shape the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry in 2022, including top post-COVID-19 developments, pricing and taste importance in the plant-based sector, the rise...
