PepsiCo has voiced its 'disappointment' in Indonesian food giant Indofood's decision to withdraw from the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification scheme ‘with immediate effect’. Indofood had cited ‘extreme disappointment’...
Fraser and Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N) is hoping to speed up its healthy product innovations instead of resorting to increasing its product prices in order to alleviate the impact of Malaysia’s upcoming sugar tax, said its chief executive.
Singapore has formally lifted its ban on the sale of food products containing alcohol after 10.30pm, allowing for items such as alcohol-containing ice creams and chocolates to be sold.
The Thai Excise Department is looking at raising the required content of fruits and/or vegetables in juices to a minimum of 20% in order for products to receive an excise tax exemption.
As Singapore winds up its public consultation on sugar tax, the majority of participants have demanded sugar-reduction methods that extend more broadly across the industry beyond just targeting sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
Singapore plant-based review platform abillionVeg started as a review engine for users to review dishes in food outlets, but now has its eye on the packaged foods arena.
Thailand food manufacturing giant Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) has committed to achieve 100% sustainable plastic packaging in all its local units by 2025, with the aid of new technology and a packaging optimisation framework.
Thailand has become the first ASEAN country to implement a ban on artificial trans fats after the ban came into force last week. So far, it has been well-received by potato chips manufacturing giant PepsiCo (under brands such as Lay’s and Cheetos) and...
Halal ingredients, processed food, and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are the top three opportunities that China’s halal food market present, according to the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SMCCI).
The Malaysian Ministry of Health is encouraging both food service outlets as well as beverage manufacturers to reduce sugar content in beverage products alongside the upcoming implementation of a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax in the country.
Premium chocolate company Barry Callebaut wil introduce its Cocoa Horizons sustainability project in Indonesia this year, following respectable global sustainability results revealed in its recently-published Forever Chocolate Progress Report 2017/18.
A Malaysian-invented fruit sticker, called StixFresh, claims to prolong the shelf life and freshness of certain fruits by slowing ripening, as well as reduce microbe attacks.
Singapore’s “halalpreneur” has resurrected his dream of developing a nationwide chain of Islamic compliant food stores after his hopes were dashed last year.
Amongst the boundless opportunities within the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry, we bring you three emerging markets that are showing significant potential for growth into 2019.
The Vietnamese food processing industry has experienced rapid growth over the past five years, and expects further expansion as it targets additional foreign investments.
A reward system is effective in motivating farmers to provide rice farming data, as seen in the case of Indonesian rural farmers, according to e-commerce giant Amazon.
Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has announced the drafting of the country’s Agro-Food 2.0 policy, in an attempt to accelerate the development of the country’s food sector up to 2030.
Singaporean start-up Doki Doki is bang on board with current health and wellness trends as it it targets opportunities in the Asia Pacific market – with its superfood puree product being dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and containing no artificial additives.
Barry Callebaut has extended its partnership with Indonesian food and beverage giant Garudafood, with an eye on capturing a bigger share of country’s chocolate market.
The Alibaba Group has teamed up with Malaysian durian supplier BEHO Fresh to sell Malaysia-sourced Musang King durians to China via e-commerce, on the back of soaring consumer demand for the ‘King of Fruits’.
The Ministry of Health Singapore (MOH) is considering multiple measures to reduce Singaporeans' sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), including the introduction of a sugar tax and a complete higher-sugar drinks ban.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has suspended the membership of one mill and four plantations belonging to Malaysian palm oil giant FGV, which supplies manufacturers including Nestle and Mars, due to labour rights abuses.
Food companies in Indonesia applying for halal certification need to understand the nuances of the process and pay attention to training, materials and product presentation to ensure success, said an auditor with the local halal certification authority.
RSPO Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT16)
A complete overhaul at redesigning effective supply chains and consumer engagement approaches is the key to transforming the entire palm oil industry, said a sustainability expert to Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) members.
Malaysia, Brunei, Pakistan and Australia have all clinched top spots in the recent State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2018/19’s Top Ten Halal Food list.
Bright Cow finds success from being nation’s most expensive supermarket milk
Fraser and Neave (F&N) Holdings Bhd is looking at a possible price increase for 90% of its beverages, following Malaysia’s sugar-sweetened beverage tax announcement.
Thailand will ban all plastic waste imports by 2021, making it the latest country in South east Asia to take policy-level action against a rising influx of foreign plastic scraps, much of which comes from food and beverage packaging.
Thailand and Vietnam have backed out of the bidding process to supply rice to the Philippines, due to the National Food Authority’s (NFA) ‘difficult’ Terms of Reference (TOR).
As Asian consumers look to spend more on speciality drinks, spirits companies are using brand ambassadors to present their products to the region's increasingly wealthy aspirational drinkers.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) decision to review the country’s 2015 Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act (LCA) could be good news for manufacturers with alcohol-containing food products, especially confectionary and dessert items.
Insight into India's ongoing milk crisis, new updates to Singapore food safety standards and bottled water safety feature in our food safety compilation.
Vietnam is looking to New Zealand for assistance in food traceability and food safety, with the sixth Vietnam-New Zealand Joint Trade and Economic Commission (JTEC) agreeing a raft of collaborations.
Food manufacturers in Malaysia, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have responded to the upcoming 2019 introduction of sugar taxes on drinks and juice ‘with concern’, saying that this is ‘not an effective policy response’ to combat obesity and chronic disease.
The milestone Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Singapore (EUSFTA) is expected to significantly benefit food manufacturers in the South East Asian city state.
Pragmatic approach recommended to tap huge eastern potential
Leaders of the Philippines sugar industry are requesting that the government completely suspend the second phase implementation of the controversial Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law in view of the country’s high inflation rate.
Malaysia will impose an excise sugar tax on sugar-sweetened beverages starting April 1 2019, in an effort to combat rising overweight and obesity levels in the country - but experts are less than optimistic about its efficacy.
Fiscal incentives like a sugar tax and lower-sugar subsidies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption are unlikely to be effective, a new Singapore study reveals.
Flavour and fragrance major Givaudan’s new centre in Jakarta will allow the company to focus more on formulating products for local consumers—with more emphasis on Muslims.
New food and beverage (F&B) companies will ‘only’ have to fill in 200 data fields, versus the previous 845 from next year, revealed Singapore Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry (MTI) Chee Hong Tat.
The Dairy Australia Greater China Scholarship Programme welcomed professionals from China’s dairy industry to Australia this year to learn more about the ‘world’s best’ dairy industry.