Royal DSM saw Q3 sales slip 7% to €2.3bn across all divisions with polymer intermediates performing worst, but as has been the case in recent quarters, the Dutch firm’s nutrition cluster held firm with 1% organic growth in difficult economic times.
Greenpeace has published a scorecard rating palm oil producers’ sustainability efforts, in order to provide food and other consumer goods companies with better information about how their palm oil is produced.
The agri-food sector in Australia and New Zealand will have to overcome a host of barriers if it is to tap the opportunities presented by rapidly developing Asian countries, and the biggest of these hurdles is capital.
Kraft Foods global snacks spin-off Mondelez International has appointed Patrick T. Siewert to its Board of Directors to increase its knowledge of the emerging Asian market.
Australian, Japanese, South Korean, Taiwanese and other Asian consumers are driving rising demand in omega-3 source krill to levels that have prompted Norwegian krill supplier, Rimfrost, to ink a production-boosting joint venture.
Research by Euromonitor has revealed that pre- and probiotics have been continually attracting new consumers in the United Arab Emirates, with growth becoming consistently strong across the segment.
Asia’s cocoa grind for the third quarter has remained essentially flat compared to last year after growth in the previous two quarters, figures released yesterday show.
After Heineken successfully netted Asia Pacific Breweries (APB), CEO and chair Jean-François van Boxmeer told investors that there were ‘six key reasons’ why the capture was compelling.
The seventh edition of the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting closed in Laos’s capital with a declaration that emphasised the concern of the countries involved in “ensuring food security in the current situation of global climate change.”
Last week saw a furious row between researchers in France and their critics from around the world after they published new findings on the effect of genetically modified Roundup maize when it is fed to rats.
As markets for probiotics in Europe and North America come under pressure, a new study from Giract opens the lid on the industry’s prospects for growth in Asia.
New research suggests that securing a sustainable supply of nutritious food to feed the world’s fast-growing population is as big an issue as fighting wars, preventing disease and saving the environment.
The chair of the international marine-sourced omega-3 trade group has warned the omega-3 sector faces an impending supply crisis as global demand booms for food, pharma and supplement products.
As bakery growth flattens in Western economies, Latin America and Asia Pacific are two emerging markets that are set to dominate global bakery growth, an analyst suggests.
Independent sustainability certification is rapidly becoming a must for Asian seafood producers and suppliers if they are to remain competitive in the West, according to agency.
The substantiation and transference into law of varying kinds of data backing food supplements, herbal products and other healthy foods remains a major hurdle in evolving Asian food regulations, an expert has said.
With fish consumption rates soaring and wild fishing stagnating, efforts must be pumped into the sustainable growth of aquaculture, a new report suggests.
Nestlé has encountered a “consistent deterioration in growth” in 2011-2012 in the US, its biggest market, according to analyst Andrew Wood at Sanford C Bernstein.
Religious and cultural values in Asia combined with food safety concerns in the EU and US has spurred Chinese ingredients firm Fenchem Biotek to develop vegetarian softgel supplements.
The much touted tightness in the chia supply is not being experienced by all suppliers, with Australia’s The Chia Company extending its growing area 100% year-on-year to satisfy demand.
Vitafoods Asia 2012 will delve into three key industry issues that plague operating in the vast region’s functional food and supplements arena – regulation, trends and opportunities.
Research has identified the key gene that determines the glycemic index (GI) of rice, opening up opportunities to develop low-GI rice and rice-based products to reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, according to the researchers.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission has set new maximum limits (MRLs) for ractopamine in pig and cattle tissue in an effort to improve the trade of meat containing the growth substance.
Emulsifier and stabilizer specialist Palsgaard has commenced work on its US$30m production plant in Malaysia; chosen for its raw material access and strong logistics, the CEO said.
Indonesian herbal drug specialist Dexa Laboratories will push its natural diabetic product into European and wider Asian markets, following success in its domestic market.
For someone more acquainted with ingredients expos in Europe and the US, walking around the vast halls of Food Ingredients Asia-China (FIC) in Shanghai today made me realise what a small percentage of the continent's nutrients industry fills those...
US-based confectioner Hershey has announced plans to open a new factory in Asia as it embarks on a ‘five core brands’ strategy to realise potential in selected emerging markets.
A new report from Greenpeace has panned the Indian food processing industry, blaming its unending demand for palm oil as a key reason for the destruction of Indonesian rainforests.
Neither enzymes, starches, hydrocolloids or sourdough can be used alone to replace gluten to improve the quality of gluten-free breads, according to a recent study review.
Flavours and ingredients firm Synergy has launched a milk flavours line in response to the surging fat reduction demands across Asia’s ready-to-drink (RTD) category.
Barely a week goes by without another food company being challenged in court over its use of the word ‘natural’ – and it’s just a matter of time before the claim loses its front-and-center on-pack appeal.
There has been a fundamental and significant shift in global business moves, with Asia now bypassing EU and US markets to work directly with Latin America and this is a trend set to stay, according to Mintel analyst.
Clean label starches and phosphate replacers are the key focus for UK ingredients firm, Ulrick & Short, as it enters the Asia Pacific market for the first time via a distribution partnership in Thailand.
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) rulings on health claims has caused a ‘softer’ market approach from EU manufacturers and Europe can learn a lot form Asia on what it does best – basic nutritional ingredients like vitamins and minerals, says Mintel.
Vitafoods Europe saw 12% more attendees (11,594 ) pass through its doors in Geneva this year with show producer Informa casting its eyes forward to the second edition of Vitafoods Asia in Hong Kong in September.
Asia’s functional food market is still a new target area for pharmaceutical firm Vésale Pharma and working with regional agents will prove essential in gaining traction in the market, according to president.
A mature palm oil market and scarce land for expansion in Malaysia means Indonesia is set to underpin increased production due to its considerably younger profile, a Rabobank report suggests.
Developing demographic-specific formulations and validating health claims must be a focus for probiotic manufacturers targeting Asian markets, according to an industry analyst.
Genetic modification is an on-going problem in Asia’s basmati rice network and it is a problem that importers need to be vigilant in curbing, according to an industry expert.
Nestlé’s $11.85bn (€9.02bn) acquisition of Pfizer Nutrition may run into anti-trust hurdles after it beat Danone to the drug giant’s global infant nutrition business, according to an analyst.
Chr Hansen recorded an 11% surge in sales across Asia Pacific in its H1 results, with natural colours proving strong for business; underpinned by a cultural dietary heritage favouring healthy food choice, according to CEO of the company.
Givaudan’s sturdy presence in China and Japan has helped secure strong Q1 results for its flavour division; with a 9.4% sales increase in Asia Pacific markets.
With India and China firmly in mind, Cargill has launched ‘Cargill Specialty Asia’ to serve its portfolio of specialty food ingredients and application capabilities, including texturisers and health and nutrition ingredients.
US farm management company, Stevia Corp, has formulated stevia-supplemented fish feed in a bid to drive sustainable aquaculture and increase production volumes across Asia.
BASF Crop Protection said it is aiming to solve the supply-demand imbalance as well as boost quality of Asian agriculture by driving use of fungicides, educating farmers and joining forces with food producers in the region.
Malaysia and Indonesia are renowned as strong production players in the certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) market but Thailand is emerging as the new frontier in Asia Pacific, according to the secretary general of RSPO.
UK-based ABF Ingredients is manufacturing yeast extracts in China and targeting the enzyme market, as it has superior growth rates in these two specialities, according to the CEO of the company.