Nissin has committed to further product development plans for instant noodles using alternative proteins, after a first launch featuring plant-based ‘eel’ was well received in Japan.
Singapore-based plant-based brand noomoo says it wants to be the ‘first’ Asia brand with an ‘all-encompassing’ range of products across plant types and categories, while focusing on B2B and online sales before expanding into physical retail channels.
Malaysian newcomer postbiotic firm My Myracle has commercialised a series of postbiotics using solely bacteria from plants instead of other common sources, such as faeces of healthy individuals or animals. It says that using plant-derived bacteria is...
Australian plant-based producer v2food says that consumers should not discredit the entire category based on a single negative experience, stressing it is still relatively young, especially when compared to the traditional protein sector.
Price premiums, unsatisfactory taste, and a persistent perception of over-processed products are the most common barriers to plant-based meat consumption in Asian markets.
South Korean firm PlantEat believes that innovation must result in minimal sensory changes and products should remain as familiar as possible in order to boost consumer transitions to healthier diets.
Singapore start-up Hegg has launched its eggless Japanese mayonnaise in the domestic market and is looking to capitalise on growth opportunities across Asia with ‘localised flavours.’
Plant-based, better-for-you alternatives, and functional snacks dominate the latest accelerator cohort in Australia led by a Woolworths-backed accelerator.
The burgeoning plant-based dairy sector in China will need to quickly shift from its first generation focus on emotions and sensory properties to more functional innovation in order to ensure continued growth in the local market.
Thailand’s Eatvolution has developed a chickpea rice alternative that is richer in nutrients and lower in carbohydrates as it seeks to entice increasingly health-conscious consumers as well as diabetic patients.
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.
The APAC plant-based dairy industry believes that controversy surrounding the use of dairy terms for plant-based product labelling is unlikely to happen in this region despite contention in other markets, citing differences in local consumption drivers...
NZ-based Off-Piste Provisions has outlined how consumer demands for healthy convenience food and a ‘chewing experience’ are key drivers guiding its product development strategy amidst plans for Australia and United States expansion.
Healthier snacking brand Hey! Chips is looking to overcome the dominance of ultra-processed snacks in the market by innovating with whole ingredients to make scalable clean label products.
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.
The founder of a pioneering China plant-based firm will reveal how the challenges can be overcome to create clean label and additive-free products at our Growth Asia Summit 2023.
The sports performance-enhancing properties of tempeh should be further explored for application in functional foods such as sports drinks, say researchers.
Danone has launched a dairy and plant milk powder blend designed for infants and toddlers in Australia and New Zealand – the first of its kind that the firm has introduced in Asia Pacific.
Singapore’s Shandi Global has developed a range of plant-based products that it says are equally, if not more, nutritious than regular chicken meat, which will soon be brought to market both locally and overseas.
Singapore start-up Jungle Kitchen is targeting growing interest in sustainable eating and indigenous ingredients, with ambitions to bring its vegan ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products beyond Asia.
Seaweed snack giant Taokaenoi has launched several new format innovations of its products to capitalise on rising consumer demand for convenience and flavour intensification in its various target markets.
Thai plant-based firm Mantra is positioning itself as a viable alternative for seafood allergy sufferers, while also hoping to change consumer perception of “high-sodium” alt-protein products with its MSG-free offerings.
Chocolate specialist Ritter Sport believes that a focus on prominent packaging and experiential textures is important to overcome the challenge of lower chocolate consumption rates in the Asia Pacific region.
Philippines-based plant-based firm WTH Foods is in the process of expanding into both the European and South East Asian markets with its new low-sodium, clean label plant-based seafood products.
New Zealand researchers are hoping that results from a new, large-scale dietary intervention study will underpin domestic nutrition policies and boost export opportunities.
The China plant-based sector has lost ‘some of its hype’ and is far from a ‘quick win’, claims one of the category’s pioneers in the country, which has recently announced a significant new distribution deal.
The next stage of evolution for the plant-based seafood sector in APAC is likely to come from the sea itself, in the form of proteins from marine-based plants such as seaweed and kelp, according to seafood giant Thai Union.
Dutch-based plant-based meat and seafood firm PLNT believes that its sodium-balanced, high-digestibility alternative protein products are well-placed to gain it entry into APAC and Middle Eastern markets.
Middle Eastern food and beverage giant Agthia has seen its snacking business grow leaps and bounds to secure company profitability in the first quarter of 2023, despite ongoing challenges from the Egyptian currency crisis and its protein business.
Children are the ‘toughest food critics’ meaning that healthy snack firms have to pay equal attention to taste and nutrition if they are going to attract mass appeal and help improve the diets of young people.
South Korean food tech company Armored Fresh is launching its plant-based cheese direct-to-consumer on Amazon and via its own site in the US after notching-up over 150 sales accounts in the country since launching just six months ago.
The new China Agri-Food Biomanufacturing Alliance says that bridging the gap between early-stage innovators and agri-food giants is key to driving industry growth.
Singapore-based Vitality Foods has developed a range of plant-based stocks to address current flavour-related challenges in the alternative meat industry.
The alternative protein sector in the Middle East will need to work towards gaining regulatory acceptance and improved product accessibility to overcome consumer acceptance challenges, very similar to those that were faced in APAC.
Nestle Malaysia believes that its strong focus on continued new product innovation will help it combat ongoing global economic challenges and food commodity cost increases.
Global food giant Kraft Heinz says investment in an upgraded facility and new sustainability pledges reaffirm its commitment to the crucial Indonesia market, while it has also revealed it is examining opportunities in the meat replacement space.
Singapore-based ANEW says it is tapping into parent company’s years of experience in food manufacturing to carve out a niche in the plant-based space with its ‘low-calorie, high-protein’ luncheon meat and RTE sauces.
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.
South Korea is planning to remove the restrictions on methods in manufacturing protein Health Functional Food, as the sector sees a boom in new production techniques and types of raw materials used.
Chinese firm Haofood says that the convergence of right ingredients with its proprietary tech was key to creating its first clean-label plant-based product - Carefree Pulled Chickless.
Thai seaweed snacking giant Taokaenoi has highlighted a combination of healthier eating, more constant snacking and the overall Korean Hallyu trend as a major driver for seaweed snack popularity in recent years.
Singapore food tech firm SoiLabs says it aims to launch finished products made from soy waste (okara) within the next year, and has partnered with Sanyo Chemical to accelerate commercialisation of upcycled foods in Japan.
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...
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...
Australian upcycling firm Nutri V – a partnership between vegetable producer Fresh Select and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO – has taken its first steps into the B2C snacking space, with its CEO stating there is more product innovation on the...
Food and ingredient firms riding the plant-based wave in Asia should not neglect the ‘bottom of the pyramid’, where affordable and nutritious products have huge scope to boost both public health and the industry’s long-term financial prospects.
Thailand-based food giant CP Foods has committed to further improve its food safety and sustainability initiatives in 2023 on the back of a successful 2022 financial year, but also plans to proceed with more caution due to ongoing challenges spanning...
New Zealand’s market for pea protein will grow 10-fold in the next decade, with key sectors being sports nutrition, infant formula, and plant-based dairy and meat alternatives, according to a report from trade officials.
