Major food and beverage firms in Asia looking to make the transition to sustainable packaging have their work cut out, not only due to the widely-acknowledged climate challenges, but also hurdles in their current shelf life commitments and supply chain...
Tetra Pak is testing a fibre-based barrier to replace the conventional aluminium layer on its aseptic carton packaging in a bid to slash carbon emissions while still maintaining shelf life.
Asia Pacific consumers are increasingly turning to the back of food packaging to check ingredient lists, before considering any front-of-pack health claims, with interest in clean label products seemingly gathering pace.
Singapore traceability technology firm Natural Trace believes it has pioneered a world-first category of in-product tagging based on DNA markers integrated directly within food and beverage products, creating a watermark of sorts that could solve traceability...
Safe Food Advocacy Europe has long been campaigning for an official definition of the term ‘natural’. Yet not all industry players are on board, we are told. How could a legal definition benefit both consumers and the planet?
The South Korean government has imposed a complete ban on food and beverage packaging made using recycled materials that are not in full compliance with national standards.
The ‘clean label’ trend does not remain stagnant. Mintel’s Emma Schofield, Associate Director, Global Food Science, reveals how the trend is evolving in the face of changing regulation, interest is degrees of processing, and environmentally friendly consumers.
The New Zealand food and grocery sector says that clearer on-pack labelling denoting packaging recyclability is crucial if the government’s latest eco initiatives are to succeed.
Seafood major Thai Union has taken the unprecedented step of partnering with NGO Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and opening up its entire supply chain for auditing under the body’s internationally recognized Seafood Metrics system, to boost the...
Tougher on-pack claims criteria in South Korea, Coca-Cola Hong Kong packaging ambitions, off-pack claim warnings in the Middle East and more feature in this edition of Packaging Happenings.
Asia Pacific will witness a spate of public and private food upcycling initiatives within the next few years in a bid to reduce waste, with plans afoot to turn potatoes into plastic and scaled-up anaerobic digesters to generate heat and electricity for...
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been touted as a new-age way for premium alcohol brands to offer consumers a simultaneous luxury experience and authenticity guarantee, which could help solve some of the industry’s biggest food safety and fraud issues.
Investing in the alternative protein sector has one of the biggest impacts on decarbonization when assessed in terms of the market value of avoided CO2e emissions per dollar invested in mitigation efforts, claims a new report.
Global snacking giant Mondelez says sustainability in business operations is much more important to food and beverage companies to achieve economic profitability than popular opinion currently dictates, urging firms to think in the long-term.
Indonesia-based palm oil heavyweight Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has highlighted the importance of sparing no cost in implementing traceability technology, in order to achieve greater commercial gain further down the line.
A new innovation-driven partnership launched by Fairtrade International, Fairtrade Africa, and digital solutions provider Farmforce is set to extend the deployment of a smart data management system to more than two dozen cocoa cooperatives in Cote d’Ivoire.
The South Korean government has imposed tougher criteria on ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) instant products that want to make healthier nutritional claims on pack, in an expansion of rules first placed on instant noodles earlier this year.
China festive foods' precious material ban, South Korea recyclability ratings, Japan net alcohol labelling and more feature in this edition of Packaging Happenings.
Food and beverage manufacturers in the Middle East have been urged to stop toeing the line in terms of making any off-pack claims for their products, given increasing awareness and warnings raised by governments in the region.
The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partner Swire Coca-Cola Hong Kong is targeting to make its packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and use 50% recycled material in its bottles and cans by 2030 in a bid to minimise waste.
China has revealed new plans to implement even tighter regulations for what has been deemed ‘excessive packaging’ in the country, specifically for food products including festive items such as mooncakes and rice dumplings.
Chinese consumers have determined the traffic light labelling system as well as distinct warning labels highlighting ‘negative’ nutrients such as sugar, salt and saturated fat to be the most effective forms of front-of-pack labelling (FOPL), according...
The South Korean government has updated national standards for food packaging recyclability, meaning that food and beverage manufacturers will need to review their current packaging to ensure it doesn't fall into the ‘difficult to recycle’ category.
The Thai government has pledged to pick up the pace of its nationwide digital transformation plans for the local food and agriculture industry this year, with a major focus on big data, smart agriculture, e-commerce and agribusiness improvement.
Australian food and beverage industry-led manufacturing precinct Turbine is set to boost the production and exports of locally-produced beverages as part of its first phase, after receiving significant funding from both government and industry sources.
PepsiCo has developed groundbreaking tech for condensing and treating the steam evaporated from its fryers to recover more than 50% of the water used in potato chip manufacturing lines, an approach that could save 60 million litres of water a year.
The Japanese government and food firms such as Suntory and Keishindo are joining forces to combat food waste by exploring tech and upcycling opportunities, as well as focusing on seasonal-over production problems.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has issued new, stricter standards to govern the use of recycled plastic for food packaging after facing pushback from a group of concerned scientific experts.
Consumers tend to be more accepting of biocide labelling on dairy beverages if the term ‘environmentally friendly’ is also used on the packaging, according to researchers in China and New Zealand.
Hong Kong 3D food printing firm Alt Farm is eyeing China and Australia as its first key target markets, revealing it hopes to launch a prototype plant-based A5 Wagyu Beef product in the next 12 to 18 months.
Malaysian big brands' recycling alliance, Vietnam eco-straw brand, sustainability-driven innovation and more feature in this edition of Packaging Happenings.
Researchers who have developed a self-cleaning bioplastic inspired by the lotus leaf that is sturdy, sustainable and compostable, and ideal for fresh food packaging, are now looking for commercial partners.
Malaysian big brands' recycling alliance, Thai Union sustainability crusade, top 2021 updates and more feature in this edition of Sustainability Snippets.
China’s first hard seltzer company, ZEYA, has turned the attention to supermarkets and on-trade channels, after pivoting from e-commerce which accounted for the majority of sales over the last few pandemic-stricken years.
Nestle Australia has highlighted its switch to 100% renewable energy for all operations as well as its rapidly broadening plant-based product portfolio as key initiatives that will help the firm to reach its 2050 net zero emissions goal.
Vietnam’s EQUO believes that the sustainability and hygienic credentials of its eco-friendly straws give it a clear edge over competitors made from paper or metal, and is starting the year with a new international launch into Singapore.
Packaging firms are clamouring to respond to the surge in fresh food and grocery sales in Asia’s e-commerce channels, with the market set to double in the next five years to tip US$250bn in South East Asia alone, while simultaneously striving to meet...
Major brands such as Nestle, Coca-Cola, Mondelez, F&N and Unilever are joining forces to drive the sustainability agenda in Malaysia, via a new alliance that will tackle plastic food and beverage packaging concerns.
