Three years after Singapore officially launched its War on Diabetes campaign, with the aim of ‘mobilising the whole nation’ to tackle the condition, we assess how the food and beverage industry has been a key ally in the battle.
Japanese start-up True Food & Design is developing a healthy, natural, vegan chocolate product that contains zero sugar, sugar alcohol and artificial sweeteners.
We take a look at the five top trends that look set to shape the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry in 2020, from fortification to cell-based development to sustainability and more.
The bioactives from honey could help tackle obesity by curbing appetite and Malaysian researchers are now making a weight controlling dietary supplement on the back of their studies.
By Rachel Arthur, Elaine Watson, Niamh Michail, Gary Scattergood, Flora Southey
Sugar taxes continue to hit the headlines, so we take a spin around the globe to look at some of the markets where taxes have been introduced or are under debate.
F&N’s new Singapore-based facility will house both its ‘future-ready’ factory and its product innovation centre, with a focus on expanding its range of health and wellness-focused products in a sustainable manner.
The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has announced tightened food labelling and advertisement standards in a move to strengthen the country’s Food Labelling and Advertising Act, with sugar and other ‘negative content’ claims receiving...
The New Zealand government has finally responded to the country’s Food and Beverage Industry Taskforce on Addressing Factors Contributing to Obesity’s report and its list of 51 recommendations.
Australia and New Zealand ministers have opted to keep implementation of the Health Star Rating (HSR) system by F&B companies voluntary, although stricter guidelines for the governance of sugar, sodium and dairy will be enforced to ‘increase efficiency’.
The Philippines senate is advocating for the development of the country’s sugarcane industry instead of overall deregulation, in the wake of various setbacks that have battered the sector in recent months.
The Australian non-alcoholic beverage industry has been urged to ‘shift gears’ and up the ante in order to hit its 2025 sugar reduction pledge targets after its latest progress report revealed a ‘significant’ 7% reduction overall.
Asian consumers are moving towards chocolate snack foods that have a typically less sweet flavour profile and are more open to savoury flavours, with darker chocolate flavours proving most popular.
Consumer interest in sugar and calorie reduction is growing in the Middle East, but manufacturers are faced with the double challenge of maintaining sweetness and compensating for the loss of mouthfeel.
The Moroccan Parliament is reviewing its 2020 finance bill including introducing a tax on beverages sweetened with sugar, after cancelling last year’s proposed tax due to pressure from manufacturers.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a set of legislations four years in the making, which would see F&B manufacturers banned from selling or promoting foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in or around school premises.
After two hugely successful events in 2018 and 2019, where 93% of delegates said the event added value to their organisation, we are delighted to announce that our Healthy Ageing APAC Summit will return to Singapore for year three in 2020.
Stevia producer PureCircle is seeking to ramp-up production for the China market after receiving a patent for its stevia Reb M sweetener in the country.
Nestle’s Australian confectionery brand Allen’s has launched a 25% less sugar range of lollies amidst soaring demand for more natural and healthy ingredients.
Holista CollTech and SunFresh Fruit Hub have entered an R&D collaboration to co-develop healthier ingredients for the bubble tea industry, which are lower GI pearls, sugar syrup, and brown sugar.
Sugar reduction and fortification are replacing salt and trans-fat reduction as reformulation priorities, according to trade association Food Industry Asia (FIA).
The Philippines Senate House Committee on Ways and Means expressed ‘dismay’ over the payout of sugar taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act to the ‘intended beneficiaries’ within the sugar industry, particularly sugar farmers.
A ban on all junk food advertising before 9pm has been recommended in Malaysia, with an obesity prevention experts claiming it will complement the health effects of the country’s recently-implemented sugar tax.
Singapore is set to introduce mandatory colour-coded front-of-pack nutrition label and ban advertising for pre-packaged sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), a move that has caused the industry to voice doubts, while health policy experts have welcomed the...
Food items with lower Health Star Ratings have been found to be discounted more frequently and heavily than their healthier counterparts, a recent Australian study has revealed.
Malaysian start-up Pontonguler’s new low-calorie, diabetic-friendly condensed milk made with stevia could hold the answer to the local government’s concern over the rising rates of chronic diseases in the country, particularly for beverages not covered...
The food and beverage industry in Australia has expressed ‘full support’ for the addition of information about added sugar onto food and beverage labels – but want this to be consistent with the Health Star Rating (HSR) system to avoid negatively affecting...
In a move to reduce consumption of unhealthy products and prevent chronic diseases, the UAE Government will impose a fresh 50% excise tax on a raft of products containing added sugar or sweeteners, with officials hoping it will reduce consumption of ‘unhealthy...
New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown has banned the sale of energy drinks to under 16s, with its 180 outlets requiring young customers to present their ID when seeking to make purchases.
Keeping products tasty and providing clear nutrition labelling have been found to be key factors influencing consumer appeal when it comes to food and beverage reformulation in India, a new report has found.
China’s national health strategy guidelines, dubbed the ‘Healthy China Movement’, has announced ambitious goals of cutting dietary oil, salt and sugar nationwide by 2030, in tandem with the overarching ‘Healthy China 2030’ initiative.
