Desserts

Thailand prepackaged food labelling: New rules proposed for expiry dates and allergen warnings

04-Sep-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand could be set to revamp its rules around expiration dates and allergen warnings after regulator Thai Food and Drug Association (FDA) issued draft proposals for prepackaged foods

‘Unpuzzling’ Asia’s food trends: Twin demands for health and affordability key for success

31-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands looking to make inroads into Asia need to tread the line between growing health consciousness and increasing consumer concerns over costs.

Sweet and snacky: China cheese industry growth requires flavour localisation and western influence – Bel China

29-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Cheese heavyweight Bel has called for local brands to simultaneously develop local innovations alongside introducing more traditional western concepts in order to drive faster industry growth in China

Beyond sensory properties: China plant-based dairy sector needs to rapidly build up functional attributes to continue domestic growth

14-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

‘New avenue of justice’: How much can new China IP protection policies aid Zespri’s quest against unlicensed kiwifruits?

14-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

New IP protection policies in China could help New Zealand kiwifruit powerhouse Zespri to pursue its fight against individuals growing and selling its golden kiwifruit.

Palm oil replacement ‘not the answer’: Nestle taps satellite tech for sustainability amid EU Deforestation Regulation debate

07-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle has voiced support for the continued use of palm oil in the food and beverage sector amid intense debate surrounding the recently-enacted EU Deforestation Regulation, while also striving to guarantee its supply chain sustainability using advance...

Easing customs congestion: Thai FDA launches express digital service to accelerate processing of F&B imports

01-Aug-2023 By Pearly Neo

Thailand is the latest Asian market to establish a fully digitalised express customs processing service, which is hoped to greatly accelerate food and beverage import operations at its checkpoints in line with the national Thailand 4.0 strategy.

Positive push: Format and flavour innovation drives Nestle Malaysia Q2 back to profitability

31-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia says extensive format and flavour innovations in its product development have helped d drive healthy Q2FY2023 business growth, giving the firm renewed confidence in its ability to secure a profitable rest of the year.

Nutritional labelling aid: South Korea issues guidance document to help F&B manufacturers align with new guidelines

25-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has released a nutritional information guidance document in line with new labelling and reporting regulations to assist food and beverage manufacturers throughout the initial phase of transition.

China a ‘trap’ for F&B brands? Why practicality and sustainability need to be top of mind to thrive – expert panel

25-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage firms in China need to ensure that practicality and business sustainability are kept at the top of their agenda in order to avoid the ‘trap’ of easy brand building in the world’s most populous market.

A ‘momentous’ occasion: New Zealand food sector urges swift grocery code of conduct implementation following commissioner appointment

24-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand food and grocery industry has urged for the swift establishment of its own local grocery code of conduct to hasten the improvement of competition and fair business conditions, whilst also lauding the appointment of industry veteran Pierre...

High ranks, low scores? India State Food Safety Index data reveals lack of compliance even in top performing states

17-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

Date from India’s latest State Food Safety Index (SFSI) conducted annually by the Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has revealed that many states still perform poorly across the assessment criteria, even amongst its top scoring states.

Will AI make human roles obsolete? Three major concerns about the use of AI in food production

10-Jul-2023 By Pearly Neo

There are three major concerns about the use of AI in the food industry, with the majority of benefits at present related to market research and advertising strategies – as evidenced by Coca-Cola – according to an industry expert.

House of Pops aims for top spot in GCC’s healthy frozen desserts sector through franchising and distribution partnerships

28-Jun-2023 By Hui Ling Dang

Dubai-based ice cream brand House of Pops has detailed how its product development is being influenced by consumer trends in the Middle East’s snacking space, including plant-based and clean eating, functional foods, and personalisation.

Nutritional labelling catch-up: Vietnam moves to implement mandatory regulations and align with international standards

21-Jun-2023 By Pearly Neo

Vietnam has moved to implement regulations that will mandate the display of nutritional labelling according to national standards on all qualifying food and beverage products in the country, progressing from its previous voluntary labelling system.

Heritage Kulfi to bring nostalgic South Asian flavors to more ice cream aisles with KeHE ELEVATE program

16-Jun-2023 By Ryan Daily

Ice cream brand Heritage Kulfi is preparing to take its portfolio of South-Asian flavors to the Midwest and Northeast with the help of KeHE’s ELEVATE program, as brand founder Mansoor Ahmed told FoodNavigator-USA.

Healthier but scarier: Over half of Chinese consumers doubtful about safety of sweeteners– national survey

15-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Over half of all Chinese consumer still harbour doubts over the safety of both natural and artificial sweeteners on a regular basis, according to a recent nationwide survey.

Fortification for the future: Government role crucial to ensure widespread affordable nutrition via staple foods

10-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The role of governments is crucial to introduce affordable proper nutrition to mass consumers via the fortification of staple foods, particularly in countries with large populations such as India and China.

‘Samples Only’: Philippines FDA sets strict import guidelines for unregistered food products used for R&D

10-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration is implementing new strict import guidelines for food and beverage items that manufacturers want to use for R&D.

‘Far more than a snack’: Dole touts new Fruit Pops range for multiple consumption occasions

08-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

Fruit specialist firm Dole says its new Fruit Pops range is ‘more than a snack’, highlighting multiple consumption occasions including deserts and even cocktails.

More than a buzzword: Net zero sustainability commitments must make business sense for food firms – expert panel

08-May-2023 By Pearly Neo

The commitment to and achievement of net zero goals must make real business sense for food and beverage companies in the region in order to ensure these remain a key part of business operations as opposed to just fulfilling a trend.

Wheat replacement: South Korea partners with local food brands to intensify rice flour NPD

26-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

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.

Back to food roots: UAE conglomerate rejigs meat and spice brands for burgeoning cooking convenience market

20-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

UAE major conglomerate Gulf Marketing Group (GMG) has returned to its food manufacturing roots with the rebranding of its Farm Fresh meat and launch of its new Saporo spice brands, hoping to tap on the growing local cooking convenience market.

Food trade globalisation: E-commerce and digitalisation crucial for brands to attain recognition – Alibaba, Philippines DTI

19-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

Rising consumer concentration on social media has amplified the need for large and small brands alike to establish a digital presence and solidify e-commerce networks, especially in strongly connected markets such as China, South East Asia and the Middle...

If labels could kill: Irresponsible on-pack claims tapping dietary trends poses health risk - Expert panel

18-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

The irresponsible inclusion of prominent labels on food and beverage products to capitalise on current dietary trends and fads can pose immense health risks to consumers, especially if not backed up by proper research and data.

‘Make healthy the only option’: Nestle, Del Monte weigh impact of food affordability vs nutrition education

18-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

An expert panel with food industry heavyweights Nestle and Fresh Del Monte have highlighted the impact that nutritional education and product affordability have on encouraging ‘informed’ consumer purchasing decisions.

Nippon Food Shift: Japanese consumers’ purchasing choices primarily driven by affordability and local production – government survey

17-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

New data from the FY2022 version of Japan’s annual Dietary Habits and Lifestyle Survey has revealed that affordability and local production are the factors holding the most sway over local consumer purchasing decisions.

Transparency versus clarity: New Nestle nutrition data shows difficulties posed by APAC’s fragmented health rating systems

10-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

New data from Nestle’s new attempt to use the Health Star Rating (HSR) system to benchmark its portfolio has revealed a positive nutritional picture for its global portfolio – but a closer look at local assessments of APAC markets reveal the difficulties...

Fast, not furious: New Zealand food sector welcomes ‘expeditious’ development of new Grocery Code of Conduct

05-Apr-2023 By Pearly Neo

The food and grocery sector in New Zealand has acquiesced for the government to develop the first full version of the new Grocery Code of Conduct to speed up introduction, but has stressed that its administration will subsequently need to move out of...

Food safety warnings: South Korean regulator demands more collaboration as contamination cases rise

29-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean food safety ministry has urged industry and other government bodies to increase its efforts to slash contamination in the food supply, after cases jumped by 19% year-on-year.

Making leaps: White Rabbit ice-cream brand reveals expansion strategy for South East Asia

27-Mar-2023 By Si Ying Thian

The Singapore distributor of the iconic Chinese brand White Rabbit’s ice cream is looking for partnerships to provide a marketing boost in South East Asia, while also aiming for expansion across the region, providing its quality control objectives can...

Sustainability amid volatility: Nestle Malaysia pushes energy, packaging and plant-based progress despite economic uncertainty

20-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

Nestle Malaysia has vowed to continue its progress in environmental and business sustainability areas such as renewable energy, recyclable packaging and plant-based product innovation even amidst current global economic instability.

‘Collective effort needed’: Cultural and behavioural challenges major hurdles for UAE national project

15-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

The National Food Loss and Waste Initiative (Ne’ma) backed by the United Arab Emirates government still faces immense challenges in the form of cultural practices and consumer behaviour as it seeks to halve food loss and waste.

High-tech inspections: South Korea deploys AI in national food imports plan to boost safety

14-Mar-2023 By Pearly Neo

The South Korean government has announced a new food imports plan to be enforced in 2023 which will involve the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve its monitoring and inspections processes.

‘Gateway to Asia’: Future Food Asia 2023 seeks to attract international food firms to accelerate regional innovation

13-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Organisers of the Future Food Asia (FFA) Awards 2023 have revealed a whole new awards track targeting start-ups based outside APAC, hoping that this will bring more expertise and technologies into the region.

Safe for second use: South Korea approves recycled PET as material for new food and beverage containers

08-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

South Korea has given the nod for recycled PET plastic to be used as a material to make new food and beverage containers as part of its national sustainability strategy, citing work by international brands such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo as an inspiration.

Food in the Metaverse: Why APAC F&B brands need to keep up with Web 3.0 to accelerate growth

07-Feb-2023 By Pearly Neo

Food and beverage brands in the Asia Pacific region would do well to stay up-to-date with worldwide Web 3.0 transformations to accelerate business growth, especially when it comes to capturing younger consumers in the Metaverse.

Nutritional navigation: UAE eyes ‘virtual elimination’ of trans fats and sets ambitious salt reduction targets

26-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced implementation guidelines for its National Nutrition Strategy 2022 – 2030, eyeing the ‘virtual elimination’ of trans fats in the local food supply as well as a 30% reduction in consumers’ average...

FOOD AND BEVERAGE TRAILBLAZERS PODCAST EP 38

Innocent innovation: How better-for-you confectionery is shifting candies out of the ‘guilty’ indulgence space

25-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

The rise of new ingredients and innovations in the better-for-you confectionery space is shifting candies and other sweet treats into a guilt-free indulgence space, and has to the potential to progress further into the functional foods realm.

Fit for purpose? Australia launches grocery code review amid effectiveness concerns

24-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Australia recently launched a public consultation as a first step towards reviewing its Food and Grocery Code of Conduct following increasing concerns over its effectiveness and ability to resolve disputes between suppliers and retailers.

ASEAN food sector outlook 2023: Post-COVID-19 growth in Indonesia, Vietnam dampened by food security and inflation woes

11-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

Many South East Asian countries remain cautious and concerned over food insecurity and rising inflationary costs despite having seen stellar post-COVID-19 growth in multiple food categories.

Returning to normality? China ramps up relaxation of COVID-19 food testing and tariffs

10-Jan-2023 By Pearly Neo

China is ramping up its efforts to move past the immense impacts COVID-19 has had on the country over the past three years, including removing all requirements for nucleic acid testing on frozen food imports and reducing tariffs.

Optimistic about oats: Vitasoy sees oat milk as key growth avenue across major APAC markets

21-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

Beverage giant Vitasoy believes that oat milk is set to be an important avenue of growth for the company across multiple APAC markets including China, Oceania and the Philippines.

Thailand’s Halal 4.0 journey: Tech and blockchain to play crucial role in ensuring product integrity

20-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

The halal food and beverage sector in Thailand is ramping up its use of technology as a crucial tool to achieve ‘Halal Integrity’, and hopes to establish a halal blockchain platform within the next few years.

‘No more wasteful gimmicks’: China issues strict constraints for fruit, meat, egg and seafood packaging

14-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

The Chinese government has launched strict draft standards to govern excessive food packaging in the country covering fruit, meat, egg and seafood products, allowing public comments on these until January 2023.

RSPO RT2022

‘Ownership still lacking’: FMCG brands need to step up public support of sustainable palm oil – RSPO leadership

12-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

FMCG food and beverage brands making popular consumer products need to step up and publicly support sustainable palm oil in order to make a real impact in the sector, according to leaders of the RSPO.

Perfect Day doubles production capacity via SBL acquisition, gets green light for animal-free dairy in India, teases new partnership

01-Dec-2022 By Elaine Watson

Precision fermentation specialist Perfect Day has completed its acquisition of Indian firm Sterling Biotech Limited (SBL) – which will double its production capability in the near-term - and secured the green light from the Food Safety and Standards Authority...

‘Making it happen’: NZ industry says new grocery competition bill is ‘concrete step’ towards fairness

01-Dec-2022 By Pearly Neo

The New Zealand food and grocery sector has voiced wholehearted support for the government’s announcement of a new legislative bill addressing unfair competition in the local grocery sector, which was previously dominated by a duopoly of major retailers.

Mitigating ‘business risk’: Nestle expands APAC sustainability initiatives with regenerative projects in Australia

22-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Nestle has highlighted its Australian business as the next major market to implement its sustainability plans in the APAC region, with a focus on regeneration and carbon footprint reduction.

Low sugar, big fibre: Creamy mouthfeel key to convert Indonesian consumers to plant-based beverages

17-Nov-2022 By Pearly Neo

Plant-based beverages must be able to still provide a creamy mouthfeel in order to successfully convert consumers over to healthier, low-sugar options for the long-term in Indonesia, especially when these are priced at a higher tier than traditional dairy...