The year witnessed a raft of major developments in the Asia-Pacific food and beverage industry, from threatened plant closures, to high profile attacks from political leaders.
Take a look at the top five stories below to recap on what made the headlines in 2017.
1) Lion refutes rumour that XXXX brewery will close
Australian brewery major Lion categorically denied that its iconic Castlemaine Perkins brewery in Brisbane will close, after local media reported that staff had been notified of the imminent closure.
2) Amul plans 10 new dairy plants as boss seeks to attract more farmers
Indian dairy giant Amul announced it would invest Rs5,000 crore (US$812m) on around 10 milk processing plants over the next year as it targets revenues of 10 times that investment by 2020.
3) Australia’s top 10 food firms by revenue revealed, and soon none will be wholly home-owned
A study of Australia’s largest food firms showed nine out of 10 are at least partly owned by foreign companies… but with Murray Goulburn about to be sold to Canadian rival Saputo, that number will soon be zero.
4) Nestlé fights back after Sri Lankan president rages over sugar content in Milo
Nestlé hit back after the Sri Lankan president slated the manufacturer over the level of sugar in its Milo drink. President Maithripala Sirisena had launched an outspoken attack on the firm, claiming it had increased the sugar content in Milo from from 15% in 2012 to 16.5% today.
5) Pepsi and Coke ready for storm as Tamil Nadu’s boycott begins
Many grocery store owners, restaurant proprietors and refreshment vendors were preparing to stop selling drinks made by multinational brands in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu from March 1 — with shopkeepers reporting a sharp drop in sales ahead of the protest.