Asia’s functional foods and supplements industry needs to stop making unfounded health claims, while also better educating policy makers about the sound science behind its reputable products.
Australian researchers have made a breakthrough in investigating salt tolerance in plants which could lead to new salt tolerant varieties of crops, and also answer unresolved questions in plant biology.
The newly released official forecast of crop productivity in South Australia predicts that the 2016-17 winter harvest will be 12% above the five-year average, though the discovery of an aphid in the state could lead to crop losses of up to 75% if some...
University of Sydney and Ramazzini Institute researchers are claiming widespread bias in industry-funded research into artificial sweeteners, arguing those financially backed by business are far more likely to have favourable results.
Australia’s natural nutrition and complementary health industry has received a “once in a lifetime” boost after the government gave the green light to a raft of changes to how businesses will be regulated.
Intertek’s food testing laboratory in Hyderabad has been accredited by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
World Food Programme of the United Nations has distributed food in and around Qayyarah after a siege had made the northern Iraqi town inaccessible for over two years.
Dubai Municipality has signed an agreement with a Swiss traceability company for a smart inspection solution for food products that will deliver a digital halal logo and a smartphone app.
The north Indian state of Haryana has the second-highest number of complaints reported to the police, but authorities have bizarrely been tasked with sniffing out beef-laced biriyani.
Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chairman Simon Crean has visited the Middle East to iron out welfare and black market concerns worrying Australia during Eid’s bumper trade period.
The Southeast Asian food industry’s efforts to transform food labelling have been lauded by a report that analyses a growing movement to post guideline daily nutrition amounts.
Hong Kong authorities have warned the public against buying mooncakes with high levels of sugar, fat and sodium ahead of the Mid-Autumn festival later this month.
Asia has a chance to tackle obesity through a more personalised approach to weight management providing it avoids the mistakes made in the West where not enough attention was paid to the needs of the individual, according to Nestlé’s nutrition head.
Asia’s booming seaweed industry – buoyed by demand for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and antimicrobial products – needs to avoid the ecological and societal pitfalls experienced in agriculture and fish farming, according to a UN university institute.
‘Significant progress’ has been made in rolling-out voluntary Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) nutrition labelling in Asia over the past four years, but more work is needed to educate consumers and emphasise their benefits to small and medium-sized enterprises...
The UK-China Joint Centre for Probiotics Research is focusing on specific probiotic applications, and plans to use GM techniques to engineer highly targeted microorganisms to fight specific pathogens.
A report by a global children’s charity has revealed that the Philippines economy is losing at least PHP328bn (US$7bn) a year due to the impact of childhood stunting on workforce productivity and education.
Recent advances in information and communication technology have been leading to substantial improvements in agricultural production and food safety in Asia and the Pacific.
The food industry has hit out at claims in a leading journal that New Zealand’s childhood obesity plan was flawed and that the government valued corporate profit over public good.
Bangladesh is mulling controls over foreign investors in the country’s growing poultry industry after local rivals said they fear being swallowed by overseas companies.
Investigations into the health of pigs exported from Jiangxi are underway after Chinese authorities blocked trade following a warning from Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).
The antipodean food regulator has begun public consultation as it reviews whether to allow a potato that has been genetically modified to reduce bruising.
Saudi Arabia is now recognised as the third most obese nation in the world, while more than one-third of children in the country have been found to be overweight.
Homes and restaurants in the UAE toss out food worth an estimated AED14.7bn (US$4bn) each year, according to the Emirates Environmental Group. The waste is then dumped in the country’s landfills where capacity is shrinking.
Australian government and meat industry agencies are boosting their efforts to increase biosecurity for the country’s critically important livestock sector.
Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) CEO Jed Matz has welcomed a report from the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, which assessed the dangers of tighter competition laws.
India’s “shockingly low” level of EPA and DHA intake is storing up a potential health crisis, especially because life expectancy and therefore the rate of chronic illness is forecast to rise considerably over the coming decades.
India has one of the best-staffed agricultural research and development systems in the world and, with ongoing financial support, and is poised to lead the way in combatting hunger and food insecurity. Yet bureaucratic issues are still getting in the...
A report commissioned by the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) has argued economic policy would have no impact on the balance of power in Australia’s beef sector.
A proposal to force companies to notify consumers if their product contains palm oil is likely to mislead the public and imply that it is toxic and best avoided.
Australian women are well aware that folic acid (PFS) and iodine (IS) are recommended supplements to take during pregnancy, but only a quarter of them adhere to the recommendations, scientists report.
Replacing tropical lowland forests with oil palm plantations can damage 11 out of 14 functions of a healthy ecosystem, some of which will be irreparable, researchers say.
Australian meat companies could lose out in Asian markets if they focus too much on animal welfare, Dawson Bradford, president of the West Australian Pork Producers’ Association (WAPPA) has warned.
A study of wild edible fruits found in the Himalayas indicates they are a rich source of antioxidants, with researchers concluding they can help meet the nutritional needs of the local population and play a crucial role in nutraceutical development.
Trying to tackle obesity in women when they become pregnant is usually “too little too late”, according to two authors from the University of Sydney and Charles Perkins Centre.
More than a quarter of soy sauce brands tested by the Hong Kong Consumer Council have been found to contain a possibly carcinogenic compound, while a similar number failed to meet the most basic overseas quality standards.
Food manufacturers should invest some of their profits to promote awareness of food safety, and consumers should use gadgets to check for adulteration.
Australia’s feed sector wants to benchmark improvements created by 2015 reforms on additive imports and better engage with the global market, industry heads say.
Scientists in Melbourne have identified four new pathogens previously not found in Australian chillies, raising the stakes for the country’s quarantine and disease resistance efforts.
Authorities in the Philippines are poised to cut the time it takes for manufacturers of processed foods and health products to secure operating licences and product registrations following calls for the adoption of a fast-track system.
