Asian bakery product imports have been found to contain the highest number of undeclared allergens compared to other food and beverage products sold from the region, according to a new study.
Malaysian ready meal firm Thalia, best known for its frozen lasagna and other Italian dishes, is now enjoying success in the nation’s rapidly expanding foodservice scene.
Malaysian start-up Life Origin believes the black soldier fly can be a sustainability warrior, both in terms of breaking down food waste, animal nutrition and as a protein-packed ingredient for burgers and snacks.
Singapore food science start-up NamZ is redesigning comfort foods such as instant noodles by using what it terms ‘future fit crops’ to boost sustainability while simultaneously improving consumer health.
The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) has opted to control rice imports and prices, even though President Rodrigo Duterte previously said all imports would be halted.
A Philippines Department of Health (DOH) proposal to impose taxes on high-salt products has been met with vehement opposition with critics claiming it will penalise the poorest in society.
Coca-Cola has opted to increase the recyclability of its Sprite bottles in the South East Asian region by converting all new bottles from green to clear.
Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the country’s regulatory body has approved the use of Triton Algae Innovations’ algae strain for use as a food ingredient.
The Philippines senate is advocating for the development of the country’s sugarcane industry instead of overall deregulation, in the wake of various setbacks that have battered the sector in recent months.
Singaporean retail giant NTUC FairPrice has poured in another S$1mn (US$735,000) to extend its million-dollar programme by another year after seeing particularly strong results for local food SMEs that specialise in processed food items such as instant...
Bubs Australia is on an expansion spree in Asia, with its latest move in Vietnam, where its infant nutrition products will be available in major mother-and-baby store Bibo Mart.
Thailand has proposed a salt tax by targeting processed foods in hopes of curbing chronic disease, but an industry expert has cast doubt on the effectiveness of this proposal.
Singapore’s major food research entities will be consolidated under a new institute by the second quarter of 2020, enabling F&B firms large and small to access a ‘one-stop shop’ of research and information pertaining to food safety, regulations and...
Indian fresh produce specialist e-commerce platform FreshToHome is confident that private labelling and high quality are key new trends for the local online shopping scene, driving them to cut out the middle men and go direct-to-producer.
ADM Human Nutrition has launched what it claims to be the first plant-based high-protein beverage in Thailand, in hopes of addressing what it perceives to be a clear gap in the market.
Nestle Malaysia and Indonesia have opted to exchange the commonly-used plastic straws attached to UHT packaged drinks for paper options for some of its most-popular products, assuring consumers that this option is both ‘effective’ and ‘scalable’.
Palm oil specialist firm Musim Mas has just opened its first R&D and innovation facility in Singapore with an eye on conducting further R&D into more downstream palm oil innovations so as to ‘stay ahead’ of F&B trends in the Asia Pacific region...
Nestle Malaysia recently launched the Milo Global Centre of Excellence in the country with the aim of meeting not only global demand for the malted chocolate beverage, but also overall hot drink demand within South East Asia.
Japan has signed an agreement with Vietnam to provide financial assistance of some JPY1.204bn (US$11.1mn) to help the latter in upgrading and improving its food safety testing systems and facilities.
Thai food technology firm Nithi Foods is on a mission to help companies bring unique flavours to supermarket shelves as retail products, using its own proprietary technology.
AstaReal is working with end product manufacturers to deliver astaxanthin in functional food and beverage in Thailand, aiming to be the “first mover” in this space.
Indonesia is enforcing its new halal certification, with food and beverage the first area of focus as the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) takes over from the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI).
Holista CollTech and SunFresh Fruit Hub have entered an R&D collaboration to co-develop healthier ingredients for the bubble tea industry, which are lower GI pearls, sugar syrup, and brown sugar.
Sugar reduction and fortification are replacing salt and trans-fat reduction as reformulation priorities, according to trade association Food Industry Asia (FIA).
An expert in the Thai food and beverage industry has weighed in on major barriers that local firms and food researchers with commercial aims face when it comes to commercialising products, particularly centred around a lack of overall understanding of...
Vegan start-up Bite Society has just launched its first chocolate products into APAC, and has revealed plans for further portfolio and geographical expansions, as well as a focus on competitive pricing for its products.
PepsiCo’s closure of its snacks factory in Philippines and gradual disappearance from the Indonesian market have been attributed to business strategy and declining local sales industry-wide, but one analyst has argued it could indicate a set of problems...
Singapore food tech company, SinFooTech, is upcycling soy whey food waste into an alcoholic beverage, Sachi, using its zero waste patented fermentation technology.
The Philippines Senate House Committee on Ways and Means expressed ‘dismay’ over the payout of sugar taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act to the ‘intended beneficiaries’ within the sugar industry, particularly sugar farmers.
Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods), the food arm of Thailand-based global conglomerate CP Group, has plans to increase its level of partnership with companies in North America, and will prioritise seafood and new technology in its drive towards this.
Thailand rice specialist company MediFoods has its eye on local market expansion after a successful run overseas with its rice-based products and ingredients portfolio.
A ban on all junk food advertising before 9pm has been recommended in Malaysia, with an obesity prevention experts claiming it will complement the health effects of the country’s recently-implemented sugar tax.
Singapore is set to introduce mandatory colour-coded front-of-pack nutrition label and ban advertising for pre-packaged sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), a move that has caused the industry to voice doubts, while health policy experts have welcomed the...
Coca-Cola has launched its first energy drink into the South East Asian market starting with Cambodia and Vietnam to help consumers ‘keep up’, following successful entry into Europe and several other Asian markets.
WOAH! Protein is achieving success in the Singapore market with its novel protein ice cream containing L-leucine, which was originally created for the founder’s mother who was undergoing treatment for leukaemia.
Global snacks giant Mondelez International is looking at portion control and the localisation of flavours for its snacks as two of its major growth and innovation strategies for chocolate in ASEAN, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines.
The Philippines Senate panel has recommended that a bill to increase taxes on alcohol and other ‘sin’ products under Phase 2 of the controversial TRAIN law be passed, amidst government lauding of the first phase’s success.
Thai specialist fruit and vegetable firm Chiangmai Bioveggie is looking to reinvent the way consumers view the sector via the development of new formats through the use of their self-innovated processing technologies.
Singapore could be an urban farming oasis and achieve government-set guidelines for produce self-sufficiency as researchers there pioneer the development of once-problematic organisms that can speed up the growth of plants, fruit and vegetables.
Thailand has retained its position as the largest exporter of durians globally, with China its top export destination – but it looks set to face some serious competition.
A severe drop in Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports to China in addition to recent confusing regulatory changes could be signs of a major threat to the fresh foods trade between the two countries.
The food and beverage industry in Indonesia is expected to play a ‘huge’ role in the South East Asian nation’s ambition to become the world’s fourth-largest global economy by the year 2050, with technology and innovation initiatives expected to drive...
Malaysian start-up Pontonguler’s new low-calorie, diabetic-friendly condensed milk made with stevia could hold the answer to the local government’s concern over the rising rates of chronic diseases in the country, particularly for beverages not covered...