News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology
Asia Pacific Agri-Tech Innovation Summit
The precision fermentation sector in Asia Pacific needs to take a more ‘realistic’ approach to operational and infrastructural management with a shift towards collaborative attitudes, in light of funding becoming increasingly scarce.
We reveal the top 10 most-read food safety and security stories from the APAC food and beverage industry from 2024, featuring chemical leaching and antibiotic fears, package labelling to ensure safety, import regulations and more.
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FNA DEEP DIVE: CULTIVATED MEAT
The cultivated meat and seafood sector in APAC has gone through various ups and downs in recent years – but now that the dust has settled, what does the industry truly see as the path forward?
The Indonesian government’s latest notification to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has included a stern warning to both domestic and foreign food firms against introducing products with high sugar, salt or fat content.
An inter-ministerial committee from India has put forth a list of recommendations on how nutraceuticals could be regulated, which has received mixed industry response, especially around disease risk reduction claims.
Retail companies in South Korea are banking on the increasing demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) packaged kimchi that has resulted from the surge in cabbage prices and shifting consumer preferences.
Food and beverage companies in Asia will need to move beyond just understanding the benefits of digital technologies such as AI and blockchain and actually embrace their use in order to reap benefits in terms of food safety, security and sustainability.
Finnish dairy co-operative Valio believes a focus on lactose-free milk innovation with an identical taste profile to regular dairy is the way to gain more prominent recognition within the Asian dairy market.
There are plans among China botanical extracts suppliers to build operations in South East Asia in a bid to bypass potential tariffs hikes under the new Trump administration.
The government of Poland has set its sights on South East Asia as the next major trade and exports market for its various food products, particularly apples and aronia berries.
Japan is seeking to alleviate the impact of global warming on its domestic food supply chain after new data showed how rising temperatures are hitting crops and increasing food loss.
Hindustan Unilever India (HUL) has announced plans to implement ‘calibrated price increases’ in light of inflationary pressures leading to significant cost hikes in palm oil and tea.
Greater cross-border collaboration across food chains is urgently needed in South East Asia to meet the rising threats of climate change, supply risks and geopolitical uncertainity.
The food and beverage sector in Indonesia believes that it is high time for a larger scale food innovation centre focusing on the advancement and development of domestic companies to be established in the country.
FNA DEEP DIVE: FOOD SAFETY & TRACEABILITY
Investments into food safety and traceability tech are becoming major priorities for many food and beverage firms across the Asia Pacific region, with regional experts telling us this is inn response to rapidly-evolving local needs.
South Korea is looking to improve the Children’s Diet Safety Index in its rural areas, after seeing poorer results compared to urban cities and the national average.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the nutraceuticals industry could become a ‘crucial’ component of innovation and regulatory compliance processes, but care must be taken regarding the information that is fed into the technology.
Tate & Lyle has highlighted that speedy innovation and operational digitalisation are more important to the food and beverage sector in Asia than anywhere else in the world, amidst the unveiling of its new globally-connected research laboratory.
Gautam General Trading (GGT) aims to build on its success in the UAE and Oman to expand in Saudi Arabia, which it believes will be a key market to drive growth and help it claim top spot among rice importers in the region.
South Korean ministries have signed a formal data-sharing agreement with local organisations in order to formulate more timely responses to illegal food and beverage trade at its borders, in response to a reported rise in such cases.
Nestle is reintegrating the Greater China region with the rest of Asia, as new CEO Laurent Freixe unveiled a significant U-turn from its 2021 geographical ‘sharpening’ strategy.
The Singapore food industry has voiced several concerns over government plans to extend the Nutri-Grade traffic light nutritional labelling system to sodium and fats.
Global food and beverage giant PepsiCo has granted the winner of its 2024 GreenHouse Accelerator APAC programme Alterno US$100,000 to develop its thermal energy solution, with an eye on further collaboration with the firm in this area.
Malaysian Palm Oil Forum (MPOF)
Malaysia’s palm oil industry representative body has argued that many aspects of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) still lack clarity, and that more transparency regarding its criteria is needed before it should be implemented.
Vitafoods Asia 2024
Microbial alternative proteins such as those made from yeast need to expand into trending product formats in order to secure the awareness and acceptance of a larger consumer group.
Vietnamese firm Vinh Hoan aims to appeal to children and the elderly who dislike eating fish with its surimi-wrapped dumplings, which are part of its product portfolio targeting the needs of time-strapped consumers.
The palm oil and other agrifood sectors may have breathed a collective sigh of relief at the European Commission (EC) announcement that EUDR enforcement will be delayed – but experts are warning that the root problems are yet to be resolved.
Beef and dairy companies put greater focus on claiming lower emissions through regenerative ag practices over embracing the concept holistically, a new report has found.
The Japanese government has warmly welcomed Taiwan’s long-awaited decision to relax import restrictions on food exports affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, dubbing this as ‘positive progress’ towards full trade recovery.
Growth Asia Summit 2024
Scaling personalised nutrition to the population level would help reduce waste, optimise health, and contribute to sustainability.
South Korean firm Clio has debuted its ingestible beauty brand, TRUE RX, in drugstores across Japan, underlining its expansion endeavours in this market beyond the cosmetics sector.
Filipino aquaculture firm Fisherfarms hopes to overcome strong competition for milkfish products in Asia through convenience food innovations, as well as international accreditations to improve market access.
The plant-based trend has slowed in recent months, but new research could be set to restore its fortunes.
Indonesia will be able to capitalise on a ‘golden opportunity’ with its halal food products industry as long as it improves product quality, safety and infrastructure, according to a leading halal certification official.
Indonesia will need to implement more mandatory food fortification in staple foods if the country hopes to address the serious triple malnutrition threat that it currently faces, according to local food industry experts.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has agreed to local dairy industry demands for an anti-subsidy investigation to be conducted on certain dairy products imported from the European Union (EU).
Singapore-headquartered firm Natural Trace aims to address the limitations of existing traceability technologies through its DNA-based ingredient, while contributing to combatting food fraud and “irresponsible market behaviour”.
Food safety technologies across the Australian supply chain need to enhance interoperability and data integration, and move away from the current silo approach.
Food and nutrition giant Danone believes that 'accessibility and meaning' are key to get consumers to adopt digital technology and fuel personalised innovation.
The use of an oral nutrition supplement for over six months has shown improvements in protein, calcium, and vitamin B12 levels among Singapore’s elderly aged 65 and above, say new findings from a study by Abbott.
There is 'inadequate' intake of calcium in Asia, especially in South Asia and East Asia, based on a new study published in The Lancet that looks at global nutrient intake estimates.
CAA International Cocoa Conference 2024
Current trending solutions to the cocoa price crisis such as lab-grown or cocoa-free chocolate technologies may provide a niche alternative to the lack of cocoa bean supply, but are unlikely to replace the role of authentic cocoa in the food system,...
The Vietnamese government has started to draft a proposal for stricter country-of-origin labelling for food products, to prevent fraud and boost international trade.
Japan has earmarked the Middle East as its next major emerging market for exports with the establishment of a specialised export platform in the UAE, banking on the rising interest in Japanese food in the region.
Alcohol giant Pernod Ricard has launched a new digital label initiative in Singapore, hoping to tap on South East Asian consumer demands for increased information and shift towards better drinking habits.
The South Korean government has issued a warning about food poisoning in the country, highlighting concerns that incidences have increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hong Kong government has reiterated it will maintain strict restrictions on seafood imports from Japan, citing continued concerns over the nuclear wastewater release situation.
The food system in Asia is facing a triple food safety threat in the firm of microbiological, chemical and physical contamination, all of which are being exacerbated by climate change and putting national food securities at risk.
The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has expressed cautious optimism in the country’s food self-sufficiency rates, after a couple of years of stable production and import numbers.