UAE specialist free-from brand Freakin' Healthy is on a mission to tackle the four major obstacles currently challenging the healthy snacks industry, said its founder and CEO.
Regulatory and consumer demands are converging to drive free-from demand in APAC, with government action around sugar taxes and regional preferences for meat-free and dairy-free products spurring innovation.
Aim-listed speciality baker Finsbury Food Group has acquired free-from producer Ultrapharm for a possible £25m ($32.2m) to capitalize on the burgeoning popularity of gluten-free.
UAE-based Organic&Real.com (O&R) may have only just launched, but its boss is already aiming for it to become the biggest online marketplace for certified organic and natural, vegan, gluten-free and free-from healthy food products.
Australian researchers say they have taken the first steps in in breeding low allergy wheat varieties, which could be used by manufacturers to create products suitable for coeliac suffers and remove the need for total wheat avoidance.
Australian supermarket powerhouse Coles has launched significantly more vegetable products in the past year to meet growing consumer demand for plant-based food and ingredients.