Japan Focus: Green tea, GM foods, Kirin’s electric spoon, and more

Tea please: ITO EN to debut flagship brand Oi Ocha in India to seize ‘massive opportunities’​​

Japanese tea company ITO EN is gearing up to set foot into the Indian market for the first time with its flagship ready-to-drink green tea brand Oi Ocha.

It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s top-selling “natural unsweetened RTD green tea beverage” in 2019. Since then, it has continued to expand its footprint across the global green tea market.

Japan GM foods: New government data highlights genetically modified crop safety to assuage ‘accidental spillage’ concerns​​

Despite having seen consistently positive results of minimal-to-no cross contamination between GM and non-GM crops over the years, public scepticism has remained high, and recently culminated in concerns over ‘accidental spillage’ of GM crop seeds affecting local crops.

In response, the Japanese government has released new data highlighting the safety of genetically modified crops to placate public concerns.

Umami boost: Kirin’s electric spoon aims to reduce excessive salt intake among Japanese population​​

Kirin has released a spoon that uses electricity to intensify the umami taste of food to address the issue of excessive salt intake among the Japanese population.

Launched under the firm’s Health Science domain, the Electric Salt Spoon uses a “unique current waveform” that enhances the perceived salty flavour when eating low-sodium foods.

On the sauce: Austrian 'all natural' ketchup brand Curtice Brothers finding favour in Asia's rapidly-growing condiments sector​​

Austrian ketchup brand Curtice Brothers says a focus on natural ingredients, heritage and sustainability is helping it compete with local and international condiment giants in Asia, with the firm seeing success in China, Singapore and Japan.

Curtice Brothers products are available through various channels in Asia, including major supermarkets, speciality food stores, and key regional online marketplaces such as Costco throughout Japan.

Blue economy hurdles: Automation and perception shift crucial to help Asia’s seafood sector move forward​​

The seafood sector in Asia requires major transformations both in terms of operational technologies and perception shifts, if the industry hopes to see effective and lasting transformation.

This was the conclusion drawn by an expert panel that gathered at the recent SEA Agri-food Roundtable in Bangkok.