The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered all manufacturing firms of fortified rice to integrate a new national traceability application into their operations in order to prevent adulteration of the final product.
Vietnam is hopeful of seeing long-term improvement in its position within the global rice supply chain with the support of a new government digital project.
Mars Food & Nutrition Australia has launched a new ready-to-heat range under the Ben’s Original brand to meet rising demand for healthier options that are convenient and versatile.
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.
The Little Rice Company says its low-GI brown rice is gaining popularity in Myanmar, but the firm is faced with challenges in wooing consumers of its home market in Singapore.
India’s food safety authority has launched a set of formal standards for the premium Basmati rice variant in what appears to be a further step in its quest to establish it as intellectual property belonging to the country under the protection of Geographical...
The rapid rise of health and sustainability trends in the Asia Pacific region has made its way into staple foods such as rice, edible oils and salts, with extensive new product innovation helping to propel growth, our exclusive in-depth report reveals.
Singapore-based agritech firm Singrow has launched what it claims is the world’s first climate-resilient strawberry variety developed by genomics technology, with wider applications in other crops and functional foods underway.
Singapore basmati brand Sameza is looking to place its premium low-GI basmati rice into more supermarkets in the country, as well as enter North America where they believe there is a lack of innovation in the category.
Healthcare professionals in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) are recommending hydrolysed rice formulas as a first line approach to managing mild-to-moderate cow’s milk allergy in infants.
Researchers at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines have started work towards breeding a new variety of rice with anti-cancer properties.
Quality control, effective traceability and effective branding are needed to ensure the successful adoption and consumption of zinc biofortified rice in Asia, following its commercial release in several nations, experts claim.
The political and price sensitivities surrounding the rice market in Asia have declined massively over the past decade, and experts say this is giving food and beverage firms more freedom when it comes to ingredient sourcing.
The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will be focusing on wagyu and rice as two of the major export items to boost via a newly-announced bureau that is expected to be set up next year.
South Asians have a higher risk for diabetes compared to other ethnic groups, according to the largest prospective study on rice and incident diabetes, covering 21 countries from five continents.
Cambodia-based exporter and producer of rice Bayon Cereal is planning to launch three low to mid glycaemic index (GI) products next year, after achieving certification from Australia’s Glycemic Index Foundation (GIF) and being spurred into action after...
The UAE is conducting several research projects to try and boost food security and reduce reliance on imports – including trying to grow to test crop varieties that are suitable for the country’s harsh weather and environmental conditions.
Lebanese distributor Ibrahim Jabra & Sons SAL has revealed sales have dropped 40% as a result of the looming economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut port explosion.
Vietnam and India are competing for ASEAN rice trade post-COVID-19, with the former having gained advantage due to support from traditional partner Philippines, and the latter having come out ahead with Malaysia in terms of price.
The recently-ratified EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has seen major gains in food trade for both sides, particularly in rice and seafood for Vietnam as well as alcohol and meat for the EU.
Lockdowns and trade barriers across Asia due to the COVID-19 pandemic have thrust rice - one of the region’s largest agricultural commodities – firmly into the spotlight potential volatility in both supply and cost.
Thailand’s position as the largest exporter of rice from the South East Asian region is at risk as the country struggles to handle weather, economical and quality changes, whereas Vietnam looks to be going from strength to strength.
Researchers are pushing for India to focus on enhancing its production of crops other than rice, the country’s traditional staple, if it wishes to effectively address its triple threats of food security, climate change effects and malnutrition.
Nearly 75% of infant and children rice snack samples in Australia have been found to exceed the European Union (EU) maximum levels of inorganic arsenic levels.
The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) has opted to control rice imports and prices, even though President Rodrigo Duterte previously said all imports would be halted.
Thailand rice specialist company MediFoods has its eye on local market expansion after a successful run overseas with its rice-based products and ingredients portfolio.
The Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is considering the removal of suggested retail prices (SRPs) for rice in the wake of the rice tariffication law being signed earlier this year.
India's SupplyCo has received a government contract to produce and provide fortified rice in Kerala, after figures revealed that 19.7% of children below the age of five are stunted and 15.7% are underweight.
The Philippines’ lifting of a 20-year old rice import cap is likely to result in some 1.2 million metric tons of rice being imported into the country in the wake of ongoing shortages and price hikes, the National Food Agency (NFA) has said.
The use of fortified rice will be mandatory in all midday meal schemes, and public nutrition programmes under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in India by December 2019.
Thailand and Vietnam have backed out of the bidding process to supply rice to the Philippines, due to the National Food Authority’s (NFA) ‘difficult’ Terms of Reference (TOR).
Food companies have been warned to avoid fancy ‘nicknames’ for rice as suggested retail prices (SRPs) are implemented in the Philippines, in a move that the government hopes will alleviate the country’s rising food troubles.
Experts have highlighted three crucial factors to enhance the rice sector, claiming that farmer resilience, organisational structures and nutritional benefits need to be improved.
Here's a recap of our 10 most-read F&B stories in September, featuring the latest on coconut oil, Coca-Cola, Nestle, food safety in India, food fraud and more.
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has denied that there is any rice shortage in the country despite senators calling it a ‘full-blown food crisis’ and urging him to declare a state of calamity.
A public consultation over the location of field trials for the controversial genetically modified (GM) crop GR2E Golden Rice has been launched by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
Human health will suffer when climate change strips back the nutritional content of crops, according to new research, which has stated that South East Asia will bear the brunt of the burden.
A new study confirms Australia’s wild rice to be the most closely related to the ancient ancestor of all species of rice, and its unique genetics may help boost rice production as well as aid global food security.
Campaign group GE Free NZ wants regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to review its draft approval for Golden Rice, which is genetically modified to produce beta-carotene.
Products containing traces of golden rice, which is genetically modified to produce beta-carotene, should be able to be sold in Australia and New Zealand, regulators have ruled.
Scientists have found that they can improve rice productivity by selecting varieties that are better at capturing sunlight to produce grains, instead of reflecting it as heat.
Dubai-based Amira Nature Foods, which manufactures packaged Indian specialty rice, is now one of only a select few Indian companies allowed to export rice to China after they were granted approval for basmati shipments.
Japan’s Toyo Rice Corporation has secured a world record for high-priced rice after a limited quantity of its super-premium grains were made available earlier this year through its web site.
