Singapore's food safety authority issued a recall of a number of
Cadbury's chocolate products made in the UK, following a major
recall by the company itself in the UK.
The world's biggest shopaholics are most likely to be found in
Asia-Pacific markets, suggests a new study, which shatters the
common belief that Americans are the keenest shoppers.
China's fresh tomato and processed tomato production is set to
surge this year, driven by unusually high prices on the domestic
and world markets that have boosted planted areas.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace attacked the Hong Kong food
safety authority last week for failing to improve testing for
pesticides in fruit and vegetables imported from mainland China.
The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration is to make recalls of
spoiled or potentially harmful food obligatory for food
manufacturers under the first law of its kind in China.
Prima Agri-Products, one of Malaysia's largest manufacturers of
Halal meat products, has joined up with Australian heavyweight food
maker, Comgroup, to help it tap growing demand for its products in
new markets.
China's ministry of commerce has issued guidelines to the country's
farmers and farm produce exporters on how to meet tough new
standards in Japan, one of China's biggest export markets.
Several provinces in western and northern China are facing food
shortages due to a prolonged drought that has left hundreds of
reservoirs dry and tens of thousands of wells either dry or nearly
empty, reported the UN's Food and...
New confectionery products and strong demand for beverages lifted
sales at Taiwan's Want Want Holdings by 28 per cent during the
first quarter, while higher margins helped it reduce the impact of
rising sugar prices.
The Swedish supplier of food testing equipment, Biacore
International, is taking over from its sales agent in China and
launching a full business operation in the market.
Malaysia's largest soft drinks maker Fraser & Neave Holdings
says it will treble its exports sales in the next two years by
entering the Middle East's condensed milk market.
French fries and potato chips available in South Korea are higher
in the carcinogenic chemical acrylamide than previously thought,
said an environmental group on Tuesday.
Asia Pacific Breweries is making headway in its aim to become the
region's leading brewer, with its first acquisition in the world's
second most populous nation, India.
Chinese dairies need to invest more in R&D to capitalise on
future growth in added value products like milk drinks, cheese and
yoghurts, advises a new report from consultants McKinsey.
Philippines-based Universal Robina will spend P5.6 billion (€87m)
this year to expand its branded foods range and increase its
presence in other Asian markets, URC president Lance Gokongwei told
reporters last week.
The world's biggest instant noodle maker, Indofood, said yesterday
that its 2005 net profit fell 68 per cent on the prior year to
IDR124 billion (€11.4m).
US soft drinks giant Pepsi opened its first research and
development centre outside the US in Shanghai yesterday, signaling
its commitment to the fast-growing Chinese market.
Uni-President, Taiwan's biggest food group, is looking for private
equity to allow it to expand further in the Chinese beverage
sector, according to a report.
An RFID tracking system designed to slow the spread of avian flu
will be tested this month by China's poultry industry, currently
facing flagging demand and low prices following several outbreaks
of the disease in different provinces.
South Korean brewer Hite announced Friday it work with Jinro, the
country's leading distiller, to create the leading bottled water
brand on the national market.
South Korea and the United States are set to begin talks on a free
trade agreement that promises to benefit food and drink sector
firms on both sides of the Pacific.
PepsiCo has announced it will invest another $850m in China over
the next three years in recognition of the country as a rapidly
emerging market for soft drinks and snack foods.
A survey of the effects of bird flu on the Spanish poultry market
demonstrates the complex interplay between government intervention,
consumer concerns and industry reaction to a disease that has the
potential to cripple the sector.
South Korean kimchi exports have jumped in the first 10 months of
the year, after the media reported it may have a preventative
effect against avian influenza.
The proportion of value-added food and beverage products exported
from New Zealand has continued to rise steadily against commodity
products, with the value-added sector enjoying growth of nearly 10
per cent in the past five years.
A UK lobby group is targeting the Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil
industries, claiming that intense farming of plantations is
threatening the orang-utan with extinction.
Australian brewer Lion Nathan has responded to last week's
objections by Coopers, the subject of a hostile takeover by the
firm, with similar claims of foul play.
Foster's has taken a streamlined approach to 'brand Australia' on
the world wine market, announcing two wineries will be sold off as
the firm tries to realise cost-savings from its Southcorp buyout.
Australia has imposed an indefinite ban on the Selecta ice cream
brand over fears that its ingredients could be affected by the
incidence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the Philippines.
More productive sugarcane varieties can be delivered two to three
years earlier, say Australian scientists, helping the sugar
industry maintain its productivity and sustainability.
Consumption of vitamins and minerals in China is growing, thanks to
immense economic growth and the emergence of a new consumer
culture. There may be opportunities for foreign companies to export
to the country to make up for a shortfall...
A Vegetarian Food Industry Association will be set up in China this
year to combat the use of animal material in vegetarian products,
according to the China Food Culture Research Organisation.
India's dairy industry is priming the country's research centres
with funds in a bid to mechanise the region's indigenous foods
sector ahead of moves to apply international food safety standards,
Hridyesh Pandey reports.
There has been a rapid increase in the incidence of foodborne
parasitic diseases, stemming from the country's burgeoning demand
for raw food, according to new figures from the Chinese government.
Vietnam has announced that seafood exports have risen during the
first four months of the year, despite ongoing trading difficulties
with the US, Tom Armitage reports.
Australian prawn farmers have reacted angrily to the government's
proposed labelling reforms, which could provide the country's food
producers with increased competition from imports, Tom Armitage
reports.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson has backed calls for a joint
feasibility study, which will look at ways of achieving the
European Commission's desire for closer trading links with the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations...
